The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) is planning to organise “Maha Melava”, a parallel people’s session to oppose the Karnataka government’s decision to hold Winter Session of the state legislature at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (SVS) here from Dec 9.
However, MES leaders from the city told The Hindu that a decision to this effect was yet to be taken.
It may be recalled here that the MES has been organising Maha Melava at the Lele ground in Tilakwadi in the city ever since the State government started holding legislature sessions since 2006. The MES was opposed to holding legislative sessions and establishment of the SVS and renaming of the city as Belagavi, which was apparently in re-assertion of the state government’s known stand that the city was integral part of Karnataka, as it was pursuing a long drawn struggle for transfer of the city and more than 800 towns and villages along the Karnataka-Maharashtra state boundary to Maharashtra.
Maharashtra government has staked claim on the city and Marathi speaking villages along the boundary in its original suit filed before the Supreme Court in March 2004.
The MES has been demanding that Belagavi should be declared a union territory till the apex court delivered verdict on the boundary dispute
