Mumbai, Jan 14: Karnataka's decision to hold an
assembly session in Belgaum from January 16, has given politicians a fresh opportunity to rake up the long standing border dispute with Maharashtra which is now pending with the Supreme Court.
The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and some
Maharashtra politicians such as Maharashtra Deputy Chief
Minister Chagan Bhujbal have for long been agitating to
realise their demand for merger of 856 villages and towns of
Karnataka, including Belgaum, Karwar and Nippani with
Maharashtra.
However, MES failed to win a single seat in the
Marathi-dominated areas in last year's assembly elections and
the emotive appeal of the issue seems to have lost traction
with the younger generation of Marathi-speaking people in
Karnataka.
Bhujbal, one of the leading lights of the agitation in
the '80s, however, told reporters it was wrong to say the movement
has lost its relevance just because the MES is not in control
of the Belgaum municipality and was without representation in
the Karnataka Assembly.
While MES believes the Karnataka move is aimed at
thwarting their "just" struggle, Karnataka, sees the session
as an opportunity to remove the feeling of alienation among
the Marathi-speaking people of Belgaum and at the same time
assert its right over the city.
This will be the second time when a Karnataka assembly
session will be held in Belgaum. Former Chief Minister H D
Kumaraswamy had decided to hold the first one at the end of
2007 while announcing that Belgaum would be developed as the
second capital of Karnataka and Rs 100 crore would be spent
for its development.
The delay in arriving at an amicable solution to the
boundary row was due to political and electoral interests of
national parties in both the states, Bhujbal said.
"Delay is inevitable, but justice is important. The
matter is now pending before the Supreme Court and the State
Government is pressing for an early solution."
Maharashtra has a rightful claim over Belgaum and
other areas on the basis of language and geographical
continuity, said Bhujbal.
Even as the dispute awaits the Supreme Court verdict,
pro-merger Marathi politicians are hopeful that justice will
be done and the court's judgement will go in their favour.
"Justice delayed is justice denied. But we are still
positive and hopeful that we will get justice," a top leader
of MES, Kiran Thakur, told reporters.
MES has been observing November 1, the Rajyotsava Day
(foundation day) of Karnataka as 'Black Day' and January 17 as
"martyrs day" every year to commemorate the martyrdom of five
people from Belgaum who were killed in police firing
protesting the decision to include the city in Karnataka.
According to the MES, the "just" demand of
Marathi-speaking people in the border areas of Karnataka was
ignored by both the State Reorganisation Commission as well as
the Mahajan Commission, set up for reorganisation of states on
a linguistic basis.
"Despite the fact that with the emergence of a
globalised economy, the emotive appeal of the issue has become
secondary, we are still positive and hopeful that we will get
justice," said Thakur, who is also Editor-in-Chief of Marathi
daily 'Tarun Bharat'.
Claiming that the MES failed to win a single seat in
last year's assembly elections mainly due to a split in the
group, Thakur said the division was temporary. "There is no
difference between the two groups on the main issue of joining
Maharashtra. The difference is over leadership."
Thakur, however, admited that in the Marathi-dominated
areas "money power had gained credence". The younger
generation in the Marathi areas near the Maharashtra-Karnataka
border are more concerned about IT jobs and their economic
progress. They are also now well versed in Kannada, he said.
"The emotive appeal attached to the long-pending
dispute has become secondary," he lamented. "However, the
feeling of injustice among the people cannot be ignored."
Narsingrao Patil, MLA from Chandgad in Kolhapur
district which is about 10 km from Belgaum, said the
lower-middle class youth, who are well versed in Kannada as
well as Marathi, opt for government jobs as teacher and
talathi (revenue official) in Belgaum or cross over to
Maharashtra for other types of employment.
"Making Kannada a compulsory language had made
Marathi-speaking people a bitter lot," Patil said.
Thakur said the issue could have been resolved in 1960
when the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat were carved out of
Bombay province.
The NCP leader said the issue could have been resolved
in 1960 itself had Maharashtra leaders pressed for inclusion
of Belgaum, Karwar, Nippani, Khanapur and other areas, along
with Mumbai, into the state.
"Y B Chavan (first Maharashtra CM) should have put
pressure on his party (Congress) leadership. However, many
leaders in the state were in a tearing hurry for formation of
Maharashtra and were satisfied with getting Mumbai," he said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 00:00