Pro-Marathi group submits memo to Sharad Pawar on border dispute

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), a pro-Maharashtrian organisation based in Karnataka, has called on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra to address the longstanding border dispute with Karnataka in their election manifestos for the upcoming state assembly polls.

A delegation from MES on Monday met Pawar in Maharashtra and submitted a memorandum requesting him to include the border issue in the manifestos of all the parties in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. According to people familiar with the matter, the delegation led by MES acting president Manohar Kinekar also plans to meet Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis to push for the inclusion of the border dispute in their respective party platforms.

MES spokesperson Vikas Kalghatagi said: “Our goal is to make the nation aware of the atrocities committed against the Marathi-speaking population in Karnataka. We want the issue to be central in election discussions so that it gains the attention it deserves.”

The border dispute centres around Belagavi and other areas, which Maharashtra claims based on their significant Marathi-speaking populations. Kinekar, a former legislator who once represented the Belagavi Rural assembly constituency, emphasised that the linguistic rights of minorities in Karnataka have been violated. He criticised the Karnataka government for making Kannada the mandatory language in administrative documentation and business signage, which he says disregards the rights of Marathi speakers, whose population in certain areas exceeds 15%.

“Karnataka has failed to provide official documents in Marathi despite the substantial Marathi-speaking population,” Kinekar said. He further argued that the state’s decision to enforce Kannada signage on businesses has hurt Marathi business owners, causing resentment in the community. He further said that if this issue is raised during election campaigns, Karnataka will be compelled to address the concerns of linguistic minorities.

Kinekar said that has Pawar responded positively to their appeal, stating that the MVA would consider the request in an upcoming campaign committee meeting. The delegation also plans to meet with leaders from Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the ruling BJP to secure broader support for the cause.

Prakash Maragale, an MES office bearer, said that the delegation invited Sharad Pawar to participate in a “Black Day” protest scheduled for November 1 in Belagavi. The protest will be organised to mark the day when the Karnataka government officially declared its formation, a move that MES has long opposed. Maragale also said the group will request representatives from both factions of the Shiv Sena and the BJP to join the protest.

In a memorandum presented to Sharad Pawar, MES emphasised the need for Maharashtra’s political leaders to include the disputed areas in Karnataka, such as Belagavi, Khanapur, Nippani, Karwar, Bidar, and Balki, on the state’s map. “We want the disputed areas clearly marked on Maharashtra’s map to show that they were unlawfully included in Karnataka,” Kinekar said.

During the meeting, Pawar told the delegation that he would table the topic during the election campaign committee meeting which decides whether to take or not. “The campaign committee will decide about whether to add the border dispute issue in the manifesto or not,” he said, adding that the NCP and its alliance parties face the election focusing mainly on state issues and not on the disputes in court.

The dispute over these 864 areas dates back decades. In 2004, Maharashtra filed a case in the Supreme Court, asserting its claim to these regions. The suit involves both the Union and Karnataka governments. However, Karnataka has consistently argued that only the Parliament has the authority to resolve such interstate disputes, not the judiciary. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether the case falls within its jurisdiction.