Border row: Pawar gives ‘24 hours’ to Bommai; Maharashtra stops bus services to Karnataka
On Tuesday, a protest by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike – a pro-Kannada organisation – against the proposed visit of two Maharashtra ministers to Belagavi, turned violent.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday gave Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai ‘24 hours’ to stop attacks in Karnataka on trucks with Maharashtra registration numbers, or else, he said, ‘we won’t be able to observe patience.'
"There is a limit to our patience. If attacks on vehicles from Maharashtra are not stopped in 24 hours, we won't be able to observe patience," said Pawar in Mumbai. The veteran politician was addressing a press conference on the reignited border dispute between the two states over the city of Belagavi, which, at present, is with Karnataka.
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The city is also claimed by Maharashtra as it has a significant Marathi-speaking population.
On Tuesday, a protest by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike – a pro-Kannada organisation – against the proposed visit of two Maharashtra ministers to Belagavi, turned violent. However, the ministers postponed their visit after the Karnataka chief minister said their arrival may create a law and order situation in the district.
Meanwhile, Pawar also accused Bommai of inciting ‘anti-Maharashtra protests.’
“The Karnataka CM is inviting anti-Maharashtra protests. The Centre should stop being a spectator. This is dangerous for the unity of the nation. I am getting calls from Marathi-speaking people… they are being terrorised,” said the Nationalist Congress Party chief.
Also on Tuesday, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) announced it is stopping it's bus services to the neighbouring state on advice of the Maharashtra home department.
