The show-cause notices issued by the State government to the Belagavi City Corporation Mayor Sarita Viraj Patil and Deputy Mayor Sanjay M. Shinde had a direct impact on the duo: they did not participate in the “Maha Melava” – a parallel Marathi people’s session to oppose holding of the legislature session in Belagavi on Monday.
Barring Vijay Patil, all the 33 Marathi councillors belonging to the ruling group and supporters of MES kept themselves away from the event.
The government had issued notice to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for participating in the “black day” observance organised by the MES opposing Rajyothsava celebrations in Belagavi on November 1. However, both have replied to the notices and a response from the State government is awaited.
‘Struggle for justice’
MES leader and former Minister from Maharashtra N.D. Patil said that unlike the Karnataka government, Maharashtra was expressing only lip sympathy and not protecting the interests of Marathi speaking people living in boundary areas of Karnataka.
Condemning alleged police excesses on Marathi activists during the “black day” observance, he said no amount of harassment would prevent the Marathi people from continuing their struggle till they got ‘justice.’ The MES had been struggling since six decades against the injustice done by keeping Marathi dominated areas in Karnataka. Though a legal battle was in progress in the Supreme Court, all the MES agitations were to keep alive the spirit of the struggle, he said.
Earlier, Sambhaji Patil, MLA (Belagavi South), said the Maha Melava was being organised to oppose the Karnataka government holding the winter session in Belagavi city without waiting for the Supreme Court to deliver its verdict.
Vijay Devane, Kolhapur district president of Shiv Sena, said the Karnataka police remained mute spectators when a Marathi youth was sporting a gun during the “black day” observance.
Another MES MLA Arvind Patil (Khanapur), former MLAs Manohar Kinekar and Digamber Patil, senior leaders Maloji Rao Ashtekar, Deepak Dalvi and Bidar district MES president Ramrao Rathod also addressed the thinly attended gathering.
The venue in Tilakwadi was named after the former Minister in Maharashtra government late R.R. Patil and the stage after former MLA from Belagavi district late Vasantrao Patil.
