Sanjay Raut, the leader of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), caused a new controversy on Wednesday by declaring that they will enter Karnataka like China has entered the country amid growing animosity between Karnataka and Maharashtra over the border issue.
The party's senior leader stated that he didn't require anyone's "permission" with relation to the matter.
"Like China has entered, we will enter (Karnataka). We don't need anyone's permission. We want to solve it through a discussion but Karnataka CM is igniting a fire. There is a weak government in Maharashtra and is not taking any stand on it," Raut said.
The leader's remarks came at a time of increased hostility between Maharashtra and Karnataka over a long-standing boundary dispute, which has been taken to the Supreme Court.
However, the opposition is causing a stir in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly's present winter session, criticising Eknath Shinde's administration on the matter.
Ajit Pawar, the leader of the opposition, brought up the border controversy earlier in the Assembly and said, "A Lok Sabha member from Maharashtra has been stopped from entering Belgaum. In a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah it was decided that no one would be stopped from going there, then how can the collector there take such a decision."
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde responded to Pawar's concern by saying, "For the first time the Home Minister of the country mediated the border dispute, he has taken this issue seriously, we have presented the side of the border residents to him, Amit Shah has had put forth his point in front of the border dispute, now there should be no politics on the border dispute, we should stand together with the border residents."
Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, concurred with CM Shinde's comments and promised that the administration will look into the situation.
After protesters from the Nationalist Congress Party and Maharastra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) demanded entry into Belagavi on Monday, tensions ran high in the border communities of Belagavi on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border.
Belagavi Police forbade MES from holding its Maha Melava on the grounds of the Vaccine Depot in Tilakwadi and placed a ban on any unlawful orders within the jurisdiction of the Tilakwadi Police Station. On the opening day of the Winter Session of the Karnataka Assembly today, Section 144 had been implemented in the region, and tight security had been set up near the location of the MES convention.
After the State Reorganization Act of 1956 was put into effect, a boundary dispute arose between Maharashtra and Karnataka. The then Maharashtra government had demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka.
The two states then established a committee of four people. 260 villages with a predominance of Kannada speakers were offered for relocation by the Maharashtra government, but Karnataka rejected the proposal.
Both governments later approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter.
(With inputs from agency)
