The committee, headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has seen periodic reconstitution whenever new governments come into power. The last such reformation took place on November 22, 2022, after the Mahayuti alliance, led by then-Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, assumed office
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (left). Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (right). File Pic
The Maharashtra government has reconstituted its high-powered committee to address the long-standing border dispute with neighbouring Karnataka.
A Government Resolution (GR) issued on Thursday stated that this move was made so vital decisions on the matter can be reached with consensus through a non-partisan, representative panel, as per news agency PTI.
The committee, headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has seen periodic reconstitution whenever new governments come into power. The last such reformation took place on November 22, 2022, after the Mahayuti alliance, led by then-Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, assumed office.
Following the recent assembly elections and the formation of a new government under Fadnavis as Chief Minister, the committee has been reconstituted once again.
CM Fadnavis heads the 18-member committee, which also includes his deputies Shinde and Ajit Pawar and former CMs Narayan Rane, Sharad Pawar and Prithviraj Chavan, according to news agency PTI.
NCP (SP) MLAs Rohit Patil and Jayant Patil, ministers Chandrakant Patil, Shambhuraj Desai, Prakash Abitkar, Suresh Khade, BJP legislators Sudhir Gadgil, Sachin Kalyan Shetty, leaders of the opposition in the legislative assembly and council, are among the other members of the committee.
The Maharashtra assembly currently does not have a leader of the opposition. Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress legislators do not figure in the high-powered committee.
The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. Maharashtra sought to include Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages that are currently in Karnataka, reported PTI.
Karnataka maintains the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final.
Earlier in March, Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan spoke during the state Assembly Budget Session and assured that the government is focused on resolving the ongoing Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute. He highlighted that expert lawyers have been appointed to represent Maharashtra in the Supreme Court. The Governor also mentioned that the state is working on various welfare schemes, including improvements in education and healthcare, for Marathi-speaking people living in the border areas.
(With inputs from PTI)
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