‘If anyone…': Eknath Shinde's minister slams Sanjay Raut over border row with Karnataka

Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai on Wednesday hit out at Uddhav Thackeray faction's leader Sanjay Raut for his remarks attacking the Eknath Shinde government over governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari's statement on Maratha warrior king Chhattrapati Shivaji.

Raut, who was recently released on bail in a money laundering case, questioned how will chief minister Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis who tolerate an insult to Chhattrapati Shivaji, give justice to the people of border areas like Belgaum (now Belagavi).

Maharashtra is involved in decades-long border dispute with Karnataka since the formation of the state when areas having sizeable Marathi-speaking population like Belgaum (now Belagavi), were included in Karnataka.

Desai, who along with his cabinet colleague Chandrakant Patil has been appointed nodal ministers to coordinate with the legal team regarding the court case on the state's border dispute with Karnataka, said, "If anyone is spoiling the atmosphere in Maharashtra, then it is Sanjay Raut, we are doing our work. Ever since he started appearing on TV, the environment of Maharashtra has started deteriorating."

The minister said the government is trying its best to resolve the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute. “We will provide whatever we want to the 85 villages, for that we have also given a proposal to the CM. We are working rapidly on the issue on seeing that Karnataka government has created controversy”, Desai told ANI.

Desai was referring to Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai's remark who said his government has made all preparations to contest the border dispute with Maharashtra in the Supreme Court. He had stressed that the state government is strong enough to protect its borders.

"Moreover, when it comes to the Kannada state, language and water, we all fight unitedly. In the coming days as well, we will fight together," PTI quoted Bommai.

“Our delegation will soon meet the PM and the Union Home Minister as well, Karnataka will fight its legal battle, we will fight ours. We will demand from them that Maharashtra gets justice” the Maharashtra minister added.