Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday demanded the constitution of an advisory committee, including him, to take stock of the boundary dispute being pursued by the Maharashtra government in the Supreme Court.
In a press statement, he also urged the government to nominate a senior Minister as the in-charge Minister for the Maharashtra–Karnataka boundary dispute. Congress MLA H.K. Patil was appointed as the in-charge Minister for the boundary row during the previous Congress government.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said the Border Protection Authority had become defunct following the death of its head and former High court judge K.L. Manjunath and two committee members. He demanded that the government reconstitute the authority to safeguard the interests of the State.
Noting that the Basavaraj Bommai-led government had not done its homework properly to argue the case in the Supreme Court, the Congress leader said the Chief Minister had not even consulted the Opposition leaders on the matter, knowing well that the matter would come before the Supreme Court.
The Chief Minister on Tuesday said a strong team of senior advocates, including Mukul Rohtagi, Shyam Diwan, and Karnataka’s Uday Holla, had been formed and the government was “seriously” laying a claim on Jath taluk in the neighbouring Maharashtra.
Mr. Bommai also said the government had decided to give special grants to Kannada schools in Maharashtra through the Karnataka Border Area Development Authority.
