Bommai threatens retaliatory measure if Maha does not withdraw its health scheme in K’taka villages
Bengaluru (PTI): Terming the Maharashtra government's order extending benefits of its healthcare scheme to 865 villages in Karnataka, amid the ongoing border dispute between two states, as an act that threatens the federal system, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday warned of retaliatory measure if it was not withdrawn.
Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah said, Maharashtra's move cannot be tolerated. "The consequences will not be right if it is not withdrawn immediately." In a series of tweets, Bommai alleged that in the name of providing insurance to the people on Karnataka's side of the border, the Maharashtra government is taking declaration letters from them stating that they belong to Maharashtra. "This is condemnable."
If the Maharashtra government continues its insolent behaviour, the Karnataka government will also implement a similar insurance scheme for the protection of the Kannadigas on the Maharashtra's side of the border.
A government resolution (GR) extending the benefits of the 'Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana' scheme to Karnataka villages, was issued by Maharashtra on Monday.
The order said 865 villages from 12 tehsils in Belagavi, Karvar, Kalaburagi and Bidar have been included under the 'Yojana'.
"Even though the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute is in the Supreme Court, the Maharashtra government is trying to create confusion in the border areas of both the states. The order to insure some people on the Karnataka border is the height of insolence and is an attempt to disrupt ties between the two states", Bommai said.
Pointing out that Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah had agreed not to create any confusion on the border issue, he said now issuing an order to implement the Babu Jagjivan Ram health insurance scheme for 865 villages in Karnataka, is an act that threatens the federal system.
"The Maharashtra government should immediately withdraw its order and by respecting the instructions given by Amit Shah, should work towards safeguarding the relationship between the two states," he added.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah said the Maharashtra Chief Minister is not giving any value to assurance and words of Union Home Minister and Karnataka Chief Minister regarding the border issue, and called on Bommai to act in this regard.
"The Belagavi border dispute is in the court. We are hopeful that Kannadigas will get justice. In the meantime, it is condemnable that Maharashtra is doing the mischief of digging up the boundary issue for political gains. Kannadigas will not tolerate this," the former Chief Minister added.
The border issue dates back to 1957 when States were reorganised on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently a part of Karnataka.
Karnataka maintains that the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report is final.
And, in an assertion about Belagavi being an integral part of the State, Karnataka built the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha there, modelled on the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the State Legislature and Secretariat, in Bengaluru.
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Savarkar remarks: Rahul Gandhi appears in Pune court via video link in defamation case, gets bail
Pune, Jan 10: A special court in Pune on Friday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case related to his alleged objectionable remarks on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.
The MP/MLA court granted bail to the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on a surety bond of Rs 25,000 after he appeared before it through video conferencing, his lawyer said.
Senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi stood as surety for Gandhi (54) before the court presided over by Amol Shinde, judicial magistrate (first class) and special judge for MP/MLA cases.
Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi, said soon after his client appeared before the court, they moved a bail application.
The judge allowed the plea and granted bail to the former Congress president on a surety bond of Rs 25000, he informed.
The advocate said the court also granted permanent exemption to the Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli from appearing before it.
The case was filed on a complaint by V D Savarkar's grandnephew Satyaki, who alleged Gandhi had made defamatory remarks against the Hindutva icon at a programme he attended in London in March 2023.
Earlier, advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing Satyaki Savarkar, objected to Gandhi's application seeking virtual appearance.
There was no provision that allows an accused to appear in court through video conferencing before securing bail, Kolhatkar argued.
The court, however, permitted Gandhi to attend the proceedings online.
Wearing a bottle green sweater, the Congress MP appeared before the court and stated his name when the judge asked for it.
The matter will be next heard on February 18.
As per the complaint, Gandhi, while speaking at the London event, stated that Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.
According to the complaint, the freedom fighter had not written this anywhere and the Congress leader's remarks were aimed at defaming him.
At the time, the court had asked the Pune police to investigate the allegations and file a report.
The Vishrambaug police, after an inquiry, submitted that there was prima facie truth in the complaint.
Gandhi had skipped the previous court appearance on December 2 citing the winter session of Parliament which he was attending.
His lawyer Pawar had then assured that the opposition parliamentarian will appear in the court on January 10.
