‘No question of giving even an inch of land:’ Bommai condemns Maharashtra’s resolution | Bengaluru

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai condemned the Maharashtra government on Tuesday over a resolution to legally pursue the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka into their state.

“We are firm in our stand. There is no question of giving even an inch of Karnataka’s land,” Bommai said.

Stressing that it will fight the pending case in the Supreme Court with full strength for the inclusion of every inch of 865 villages, including Belgavi, Karwar, Nipani, and Bidar Bhalki, Maharashtra passed the resolution unanimously on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters at the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi, Bommai said, “We condemn this. There is already a State Reorganisation Act, 1956. People on both sides of the border are living peacefully. They are making such statements and passing the resolution for their political gains.”

Bommai reiterated that Karnataka is firm in this stand, and there is no question of giving even an inch of land to Maharashtra. “We are also ready to protect the interests of Kannadigas on the other side of the border. The matter is in the Supreme Court, and we have faith that we will get justice,” Bommai said.

“There is a lot of difference between our resolution and theirs. We said we won’t give up our land, but they are saying they will take away our land. This is the difference. Our resolution is also legally and Constitutionally bound…The whole country is watching. We condemn this,” Bommai added.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar also asserted that not a single village will be ceded to Maharashtra and condemned the resolution passed by the neighbouring state.

“Entire Karnataka and Congress party strongly condemns their resolution about the inclusion of our villages into Maharashtra. We express our opposition to it. We are not ready to give even a single village from Karnataka, and we don’t want theirs. Our borders are fixed, and people are living,” Shivakumar said.

“We must protect the Kannada language, our villages and the state. We are ready to give all kinds of cooperation on this issue. We oppose their resolution, and we will raise it in the assembly as well. Congress is ready to move a resolution in this regard,” Shivakumar added.

Shivakumar claimed that Maharashtra had a vendetta against Kannadigas residing and conducting business on their side of the border. He accused Maharashtra of deliberately inciting people to cause a disturbance. “We should all be unified, and let’s work together to safeguard the pride of our state,” he added.

Meanwhile, legal experts pointed out that since the border dispute between both states is in the Supreme Court, passing such a resolution in the legislative houses would not impact the matter.

Advocate Ravindra Totiger, a part of the advocates’ team collecting documents for Karnataka on the border case, said no such external decision would have any impact on the case. “Court needs only solid proof to state why the particular place belongs to whom. Maharashtra might have claimed the rights of 865 villages, including Belagavi, by passing a unanimous resolution in both legislative houses. However, it must state how and why those places belong to it,” Advocate Totiger said.

Advocate MB Zirali, a member of Karnataka advocates in the Supreme Court, said the passing of such a resolution in the assembly would not work. “No external activities, including the interference of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, would not impact the Supreme Court except the Parliament, which can do anything on the matter, he said.

“Karnataka has nothing to be worried about as we have hundreds of documents to prove that Belagavi and 865 villages which are claimed by Maharashtra as part and parcel of Karnataka. Though confident, we have not taken the matter lightly,” he added.