Maharashtra NCP MLA enters Belagavi, says BJP should explain why ministers did not enter Karnataka
Days after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai warned Maharashtra ministers against entering Belagavi district, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Rohit Pawar Tuesday crossed the border and reached Belagavi in a bid to show solidarity with the Marathi-speaking people living in the Karnataka district.
Moments after entering Belagavi, Pawar garlanded a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at a garden. He also visited a martyrs’ memorial and paid floral tributes.
The Maharashtra MLA met members of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti which has been fighting for the rights of the Marathi-speaking people of Belagavi.
Speaking to reporters after returning to Kolhapur, Pawar said, “I don’t think any permission is required to reach Belagavi. It sends out a wrong message if ministers of Maharashtra, who were supposed to reach Belagavi, did not go there. BJP leaders should explain why the two ministers did not reach Belagavi.”
Subscriber Only Stories
Premium
Premium
PremiumPawar said the Marathi-speaking people of Belagavi have been fighting a battle for their identity for the last 70 years. “Several of them became martyrs while fighting for the identity of the Marathi-speaking people. We have to raise our voice against the attempts to muzzle the voices of the Marathi-speaking people. As a social worker and a resident of Maharashtra, it is my duty to ensure that the sacrifices of the martyrs do not go to waste,” he said.
Pawar’s visit comes in the backdrop of the ultimatum given by NCP chief Sharad Pawar last week that he will lead a delegation to Belagavi if things do not normalise in the district. The border row had escalated after Bommai had claimed that some villages in Sangli and Solapur wanted to merge with Karnataka. Later, vehicles with Maharashtra registration number plates were attacked in Belagavi, sparking tension in the area and a verbal duel ensued between leaders from both the states.
A delegation of Maha Vikas Aghadi MPs led by NCP MP Supriya Sule last week met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who promised to convene a meeting between the two chief ministers to address the problem. However, after the Sule-led delegation met Shah, Bommai said even a meeting won’t make any difference, which worsened the situation between the two states.
