Border dispute with Karnataka, Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra: Govt

After Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi demanded that Mumbai be made part of Karnataka, Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance companions Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress got here collectively on Thursday to keep up that Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra and can stay an integral a part of the state.
NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar mentioned that Savadi’s assertion ought to be ignored. “Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra and will remain so. He (Savadi) might have made the statement to appease the people of his state,” Pawar informed mediapersons on Thursday.
He added that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has urged that villages sharing a border with Karnataka be declared a Union Territory (UT) till the dispute is resolved.
“The dispute has no relation with Mumbai at all. There is no logic in his demand about Mumbai. The Centre should intervene and find a way out when two states are involved in such an issue. The way out should be found sensibly and not in a one-sided manner,” Pawar mentioned.
Savadi had mentioned that Mumbai ought to be made part of Karnataka and urged the Centre to declare it as a UT till it’s finished. His remarks got here in response to Thackeray saying on Wednesday that the disputed areas of the Maharashtra-Karnataka border ought to be declared a UT till the Supreme Court provides its ultimate order on the problem.
Since the formation of the state, Maharashtra has claimed areas equivalent to Belgaum, Karwar and Nippani, that are a part of Karnataka, stating that almost all of the inhabitants is Marathi-speaking in these areas. The border dispute has been pending with the Supreme Court since 2004.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut mentioned Savadi wants to know the historical past of the dispute and his remarks shouldn’t be given any significance. “The fight is to protect Marathi language and culture… The law will take its own course but the Karnataka government should not forget that Maharashtra’s chief minister now is Uddhav Thackeray,” he added.

Raut additional mentioned that whereas there was no harsh motion in opposition to individuals from Karnataka residing in Mumbai and Maharashtra, it’s not the case with individuals dwelling in border areas underneath dispute.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant additionally criticised “BJP’s conspiracy” to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra and produce it underneath the Union authorities. “If BJP looks at Mumbai with a crooked eye, then it will have to pay a heavy political price in Maharashtra,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday re-released a 50-year-old documentary that highlights the linkages of Marathi and Maharashtrian tradition to Belgaum.