A delegation of MPs from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament on Friday to seek his intervention in the ongoing border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Home Minister assured the delegation that he will convene a meeting of chief ministers from both states on December 14.
“The Constitution drafted by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar has granted us the right to move freely anywhere in the country. However, there are attempts to restrict our freedom of movement,” said NCP MP Amol Kolhe, a member of the delegation, after meeting with the Home Minister.
The border dispute, which has been ongoing for decades, recently escalated when the Chief Minister of Karnataka stated that some villages in the border district of Maharashtra wanted to merge with Karnataka. This led to incidents such as vehicles from Maharashtra being pelted with stones in the Belagavi area, and retaliation in the form of Karnataka state transport buses being smeared with black paint in Maharashtra.
Kolhe stated that the Home Minister has committed to organizing a meeting between the chief ministers of Karnataka and Maharashtra on December 14 to address the issue. “The Home Minister listened to us attentively and promised to take action on this matter,” he said.
Regarding the controversial remarks made by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Kolhe mentioned that the Home Minister emphasized the importance of respecting national icons such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
NCP MP Supriya Sule, who led the delegation, expressed gratitude to Home Minister Amit Shah for addressing their concerns. She highlighted the statements made by the Karnataka Chief Minister against Maharashtra, as well as statements made by Maharashtra ministers and the Governor. Sule also mentioned that Shah promised to intervene in the matter after the oath-taking ceremony of the new government in Gujarat.
Sule also criticized the Maharashtra government, stating, “The present Shinde-Fadnavis government never takes the opposition into confidence. Whenever national icons are insulted or Maharashtra is insulted, the present government seems to be supporting the wrongdoers.”
In the meantime, two MPs from the faction, Shrirang Barne and Dhairyasheel Mane, were reportedly asked to join the delegation by Sule, while Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant chose to step aside. “Since there was bitterness, I advised the delegation to proceed without us if they could resolve the issue on their own. Both Mane and I decided to stay away from the delegation,” Barne told The Indian Express.
