Belagavi is part of Karnataka, will never go to Maharashtra: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday asserted that Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka and will never be allowed to merge with Maharashtra.
The Chief Minister also said that Mahajan Committee report on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute is final.
“There will be no compromise on the Belagavi issue. The Maharashtra government has approached the Supreme Court on the issue but the Mahajan report is final. We will not let go of Belagavi because it is Kannada land and a part of Karnataka. No one can deny this,” he said after flagging off the grand procession of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari and Annama Devi held at Nrupatunga Mantapa, Mysore Bank Circle.
The border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra has persisted for decades, with the neighbouring state claiming Belagavi and its surrounding aread citing their substantial Marathi speaking population.
Karnataka has rejected Maharashtra's claim, citing the Mahajan Committee report.
The state hosts one Vidhana Sabha session at Belagavi based Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, a replica of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
Siddaramaiah noted that there used to be five Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) MLAs elected in the state, but now their number has come down to zero.
“The MES people are also Kannadigas. If anyone among them indulges in rowdyism, we will deal with them firmly," the CM said.
He told the Kannada activists that the government is ready to do whatever is necessary for the development of Kannada schools in border areas.
Hailing the Kannada activists for their struggle to protect the interests of the state, Siddaramaiah assured them that cases registered against them for pro-Kannada agitations would be withdrawn.
The CM called upon people of the state to develop pride in Kannada land, language, and culture.
"We must create an atmosphere of Kannada in our land. For that, no matter in which language someone speaks to you, you must reply in Kannada,” he urged.
Siddaramaiah said all those who have built their life on Kannada soil should respect the Kannada atmosphere.
"Let us take a pledge that we will speak only in Kannada on Kannada soil,” he appealed.
On the Kannada activists' demand for a bilingual policy, the Chief Minister said, “I personally support bilingualism, but if the bilingual policy has to be implemented legally, it has to be discussed in the Cabinet."
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BJP to fight Assam polls on twin planks of development, secure state
Guwahati (PTI): In a bid to win the Assam Assembly elections for the third time in a row, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday advised the state BJP brass to fight on twin planks: development and a secure state.
Shah, who wound up a two-day visit to Assam, held a nearly two-hour-long meeting with senior leaders of the BJP state unit at the party headquarters here, with a focus on discussing strategy for the state elections, expected in March-April.
Briefing reporters after the closed-door meeting, BJP Assam president Dilip Saikia said, "Development and a secure Assam will be our twin electoral planks."
He also said that Shah, known for his expertise in electoral politics, has offered valuable suggestions, and based on it, an action plan to retain power in the state will be formulated soon.
“Discussions were held in detail on our organisational and political calendars. Shah ji offered some very valuable suggestions, and we will implement those at the earliest…We will share more details on the action plan soon,” Saikia said.
He further said that the Union minister exhorted the state party leadership to ensure that not only do they secure a ‘massive landslide victory’ but also bag more seats than in the previous election.
The BJP currently leads a coalition government in Assam with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), while the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) has also extended support.
In the 126-member Assembly, the BJP now has 64 legislators, while its allies AGP, UPPL and BPF have nine, seven and three memnbers, respectively. In the opposition camp, the Congress’ strength is 26, while AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) one. There is an Independent legislator also, belonging to Raijor Dal.
Saikia said that the party will continue to contest the state polls in coalition with its NDA allies, which was also favoured by Shah.
Dismissing reports of chinks in the ruling coalition, the Lok Sabha MP said, “As far as the NDA is concerned, we are united in Assam. There could be discussions about some issues on individual party forums.”
The saffron party has maintained that its alliance with the regional parties will continue, and formalities like seat-sharing arrangements are being worked out.
Shah, who was on his second visit to the state within a month, attended two other events in Dibrugarh and Dheamji earlier in the day. He left for West Bengal after the meeting at the Guwahati state party headquarters.
