Slamming Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for making an “inflammatory” statement on Karnataka–Maharashtra border issue, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday reiterated that not an inch of land from Karnataka would be ceded to Maharashtra.
“Our government is committed in protecting the language, land and water issues of Karnataka,” he said on Twitter. “There is no question of giving even an inch of land to Maharashtra. In fact, our argument is to merge predominantly Kannada-speaking Sholapur and Akkalkot areas in Maharashtra with Karnataka.”
His statement came after Mr. Fadnavis on Wednesday reiterated Maharashtra’s demand to merge Marathi-speaking areas of Karwar, Nippani, and Belagavi in Karnataka with that State. He was reacting to Mr. Bommai’s earlier statement over the border issue. Mr. Fadnavis said that Maharashtra would fight to secure Marathi-speaking areas under the legal framework.
In response, Mr. Bommai said, “Maharashtra has been fighting border issue with Karnataka in the Supreme Court since 2004. So far it has not succeeded and will not succeed in future too. We are ready to put up a strong legal fight.”
