Basavaraj Bommai asks Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde not to send his ministers to Belagavi amid border dispute

Amid the raging border row Karnataka on Monday said the proposed visit of a ministerial delegation from neighbouring Maharashtra could instigate people with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stating he will ask Eknath Shinde not to send his cabinet colleagues to BelagaviBommai said he will ask his Maharashtra counterpart Shinde not to send his Ministers to Belagavi as their visit may disrupt the law and order situation in the border districtAsserting the border dispute with Maharashtra is settled the CM said he has already instructed the officials concerned regarding the measures to be taken in case the ministers go ahead with the visit and that the government will not hesitate to take any legal actionMaharashtra Ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai are scheduled to meet the activists of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti MES at Belagavi in Karnataka on December 6 and hold talks with them on the border issueWhen Maharashtra Ministers said they will be visiting Karnataka our Chief Secretary has written to their Maharashtra Chief Secretary stating that they should not come in the present atmosphere as it may create law and order situation here and their visit wont be right Bommai saidAlso Read Border dispute Karnataka stand is Maharashtras plea before SC is not maintainable says CM Basavaraj BommaiSpeaking to reporters in Hubballi he said despite this they have said that they will come to Belagavi which is not rightThere is harmony between people of Karnataka and Maharashtra at the same time there is a border dispute as well The border dispute is a closed chapter according to Karnataka but repeatedly Maharashtra rakes up the issue and has even gone before the Supreme Court Bommai saidWhen the matter is before Supreme Court such acts and visits are provocative and will instigate the people So Maharashtra Ministers should not come he said adding he will once again make a request to Shinde in this regardAs per the earlier schedule the two ministers were supposed to visit Belagavi on December 3MES is a proMaharashtra organisation which has been fighting in the border areas of Belagavi for the merger of 800odd villages with that stateReiterating the governments stand on the proposed visit of the Maharashtra Ministers Bommai later in Bengaluru said instructions have been given to Police and Revenue department officials to take necessary action aimed at maintaining law and orderWe are aware that any one is free to move anywhere in this country but for maintenance of law and order the government has powers to take certain action I have already given instructions on measures to be taken for maintenance of law and order he saidThe Chief Minister added he will request his Maharashtra counterpart stating these actions are not right the border dispute is already settled however you have moved the Supreme Court let us fight it legally There is harmony between people of both states and no attempt should be made to disturb law and order hereThe border dispute dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic linesMaharashtra laid claim to Belagavi which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizeable Marathispeaking population It also laid claim to 814 Marathispeaking villages which are currently part of KarnatakaKarnataka maintains the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as finalAnd as an assertion that Belagavi is an integral part of the state Karnataka has built the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha modelled on the Vidhana Soudha the seat of legislature in Bengaluru and a legislature session is held there once a yearThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever