Karnataka’s silence on Maharashtra CM Uddhav’s Belagavi remark troubles Kannada activists

BELAGAVI: The aggressive stand adopted by the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government pertaining to its border dispute with Karnataka has worried Kannada activists from Belagavi district, who are questioning the state government’s ‘stoic silence’ on the issue.
Ever since Uddhav Thackeray took over as Maharashtra chief minister, he’s been making swift moves regarding the border row. One of the few things he did was to constitute a committee comprising two senior ministers, Eknath Shinde and Chhagan Bhujbal, to expedite his government’s efforts to settle the issue.

Uddhav is also slated to hold a meeting of the lawyers fighting Maharashtra’s case in the Supreme Court. His statement on the floor of the Maharashtra assembly describing Belagavi as Karnataka-occupied Maharashtra has only made his intentions clear.
These fast-paced developments on the other side of the border have left Kannada activists concerned, who say it’s time the state government woke up from its slumber.
“As soon as Shiv Sena attained power in Maharashtra, we appealed to our government to expedite legal proceedings in SC besides creating awareness about the issue among people in the border area. But it did nothing. This shows how indifferent it is towards the issue,” said Siddanagouda Patil, Belagavi’s first Kannadiga mayor.
There are two entities, Karnataka Border Development Authority and Karnataka Border Protection Commission, which are supposed to work towards development of the border district and respond to people’s sentiments. “But both have been reduced to political rehabilitation centres. Many people in Belagavi don’t even know they exist,” he rued.
Ashok Chandargi, president, Belgaum District Kannada Organisations Action Committee, said appointing a border in-charge minister, who can be a point of contact for residents, is the need of the hour. “When the Siddaramaiah government was in office, HK Patil was made border in-charge minister. But the successive Congress-JD(S) and BJP governments have done away with this idea, which is unfortunate,” Chandargi added. He also stressed the need for making the border protection commission active.
He urged the CM to conduct a meeting of all stakeholders, including Kannada activists, to evolve a strategy to counter Maharashtra. “Yediyurappa and others should understand the gravity of the issue as the Maharashtra government has named Bhujbal in the coordination committee. He reportedly played a key role in the 1986 riots in Belagavi which claimed 9 lives,” Chandargi recalled.
Rajeev Topannavar, general secretary, BJP Belagavi district unit, said Shiv Sena is intentionally raking up the issue as it doesn’t have an alliance with BJP any more. “However, Yediyurappa is sensitive enough and he may have started some proceedings at the government level,” he hoped.
Kannada and culture minister CT Ravi said he would take necessary steps to make the commission active while claiming that the government is committed to protect the interest of Belagavi citizens through an effective legal battle.