BELAGAVI: The political crisis in neighbouring Maharashtra and the imminent change of guard in the state is unlikely to have a major impact on Karnataka as far as inter-state issues like boundary dispute and sharing of river waters are concerned. However, the exit of Shiv Sena from the seat of power may weaken Maharashtra’s stand on the long-drawn boundary row. Even as the governments which came to power in Maharashtra in the last two decades did not take the boundary case seriously, the coalition government headed by Uddhav Thackeray had adopted several stringent measures to expedite the case through legal and political means.
Thackeray had bolstered the Maharashtra legal teams in the Supreme Court to stake claim on several areas on Karnataka border including Belagavi, Bidar, Karwar and Nipani. Besides appointing a minister in-charge of the boundary dispute, Thackeray had taken personal interest in the issue and even tweeted, “All Marathi-majority areas of Karnataka should be merged with Maharashtra”.
Despite coming under fire for his tweet last year, the CM had gone a step further releasing a controversial book ‘Maharashtra-Karnataka Seemavad: Sangharsh Ani Sankalp’ (Maharashtra-Karnataka Boundary Row: Struggle and Resolve) at a programme held in Mumbai on January 27 last year. The book was brought out by the government headed by Uddhav Thackeray.
Advantage K’taka if MVA falls, feel experts
The series of measures over the boundary dispute initiated by the Thackeray government at a time when the case is pending before the Supreme Court had drawn flak from Karnataka.Political observers feel the imminent exit of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government would weaken Maharashtra’s stand on the dispute. “It will be an advantage for Karnataka as the Shiv Sena had taken the issue seriously. The ‘Marathi politics’ and attempts to get all Marathi people onboard on the border issue by Shiv Sena will not be the same with a change in guard. A government headed by the BJP which is likely to come back to power in Maharashtra may soften its stand and put the boundary issue on the backburner,’’ said noted activist Ashok Chandargi.
As far as the issue of sharing of Krishna waters between the two states is concerned, Chandargi said several governments which came to power in both states did not take the issue seriously. The previous three governments in Karnataka — headed by H D Kumaraswamy, B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai — could not find a concrete solution on ensuring release of 4 TMCft water from Maharashtra to Krishna every summer, said Chandargi, adding that a proposal of Maharashtra government to have an MoU between the two states on exchange of release of 4 TMCft of Krishna water every year also failed to yield results.
Speaking to TNIE, senior Supreme Court advocate Mohan Katarki said the political crisis in Maharashtra would not have any impact on any of the major issues between the states. “I don’t think it will impact the border dispute or any other major issue for that matter,’’ he added.