Marathas played significant role in nation-building: CM Bommai
Haveri (KTK), Dec 24: Amid the border row with neighbouring Maharashtra, Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday underlined the role of Marathas in nation-building and emphasised on respecting the diverse cultural and religious sentiments that unite the country.
The Chief Minister said Karnataka is home to people who speak different languages and live harmoniously in the State like a native Kannadiga.
"This (Maratha) community has been in Karnataka for hundreds of years. The community has embraced Karnataka's land, water, culture and language," Bommai said after laying the foundation stone of Maratha Bhavan in his home constituency of Shiggaon in Haveri district.
"Like any other citizen here, they are also the proud Kannadigas who are second to none. There are very old cultural ties with Marathas, which have grown over a period of time, which we should respect," Bommai said.
He pointed out that the Kannadigas are present all over the country, including in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. They mingled with the local people and became an integral part.
The Chief Minister noted that in Karnataka, there are people who speak Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Odiya, Assamese, Hindi, and Rajasthani. Yet, they live like any other Kannadiga in absolute harmony.
"These cultural and religious aspects unite India. It is important to protect it for its unity and integrity," Bommai said.
He said the country is a democratic nation wherein hundreds of languages, various castes and communities are present.
This federal and democratic India with so many categories is successful because of the Constitution, gifted by Baba Saheb Ambedkar to the people, Bommai said.
By giving equal rights to everyone, freedom to explore opportunities and by encouraging brotherhood among people, this Constitution has been able to unite this country, he added.
Expressing gratitude to Dr Ambedkar, Bommai said he (Ambedkar) had set aside the humiliation and atrocities he had faced life and gave the Constitution by keeping the nation and its people's sentiments in mind.
"A country is not just road or building. A country is about people, their culture and character. Keeping this in mind, Baba Saheb Ambedkar built this Constitution," the Chief Minister said.
Bommai recalled also the contribution of the Maratha ruler of the 17th century Shivaji Maharaj in establishing a Hindu dynasty.
"Shivaji Maharaj's role in protecting society and religion was immense. He belonged to the entire country and everyone feels proud of him," he told the gathering.
Bommai said the Karnataka government has released a grant of Rs 100 crore for the Maratha Development Corporation and chalked out its programmes which include funds for scholarship to students who want to study abroad, loans to become self-employed and irrigation schemes for farmers from the community.
The Chief Minister's remarks came at a time when Maharashtra and Karnataka have locked horns over a border dispute involving Belagavi.
Just ahead of the Karnataka's legislature session in Belagavi, Maharashtra raked up its demand of merger of Belagavi with it on the ground that the district has a substantial Marathi population. But, Karnataka rejected the demand saying the border issue has been settled long back.
Amid a war of words between the leaders of Karnataka and Maharashtra on the issue, the Karnataka Assembly passed a resolution on December 22.
"There is no compromise on the matters relating to Karnataka's land, water, language and Kannadiga's interest. The feelings of Karnataka's people and members (of Assembly) are one on this subject, and if that gets affected, we all would commit ourselves to unitedly take Constitutional and legal measures to protect the interests of the State.
Condemning the border created by Maharashtra unnecessarily, this House unanimously passed a resolution that it is committed to protect the interest of the State, the resolution read.
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Karnataka Transport Dept uncovers alleged ₹37 lakh tax evasion involving Lamborghini in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Officials of the Karnataka Transport Department have uncovered an alleged tax evasion case involving a luxury Lamborghini Huracan Evo in Bengaluru. The evasion was carried out with forged documents which were allegedly used to evade over ₹37 lakh in road tax and penalties, officials said on Monday.
According to a report published by The Indian Express, an anonymous email was received by the transport department on December 12, 2025, which alleged that using fabricated documents, H1 Car Care had fraudulently registered the high-end vehicle at the Kasturinagar Regional Transport Office (RTO). The additional commissioner (Enforcement) ordered an inquiry after photographs of the allegedly forged paperwork, attached to the email were examined.
A police complaint was filed by Senior Motor Vehicle Inspector Ranjith N at the Kodigehalli police station. The complaint noted that the Lamborghini, bearing registration number KA-03-NX-0016, was originally purchased by Harsha Infra Cons Pvt Ltd from a Lavelle Road showroom on June 1, 2022, for ₹3,00,68,729.
The vehicle was temporarily registered at the Electronics City RTO from June 2 to July 1, 2022. Later the company sought permission to register it at a Regional Transport Office in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Investigators discovered that the accused had allegedly created fraudulent documents. He stated that H1 Car Care purchased the same vehicle in September 2025, about three years after it was sold and registered to Harsha Infra Cons. The alleged purchase price was shown as ₹3,00,58,729.
An official quoted by TIE said that the forged documents reused the same invoice number that had originally been issued to the first buyer, which is illegal. Investigators called an authorized Lamborghini dealer during verifications, who confirmed that the vehicle was sold to Harsha Infra Cons. The dealer further claimed that the invoice dated September 1, 2025, was reportedly issued to H1 Car Care, however it was never generated by the showroom and seemed to be faked.
After reviewing the paperwork, the Kasturinagar RTO determined that the fake papers were utilized to achieve the illegal registration. Officials informed that the vehicle was also undervalued to evade road tax and penalties amounting to over ₹37 lakh accumulated over the three-year period.
Following confirmation of the forgery, senior transport officials ordered the immediate seizure of the vehicle. The Lamborghini was traced on February 7 and seized from Sahakarnagar, where it was found linked to premises associated with H1 Car Care.
