Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar ruffled a few feathers among Kannada activists with her statement that Belagavi was a part of Maharashtra before Independence. At a Kannada sammelan in Karadaga of Belagavi district on Sunday, she made the statement, while, at the same time, urging Kannada and Marathi speakers to live in harmony.
This angered some Kannada activists who condemned the Minister’s statement.
However, she later issued a clarification saying that she wanted to say that Belagavi was in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, but “I said it was in Maharashtra.”
“Since there was no Maharashtra before Independence, the question of Belagavi being in Maharashtra does not arise,” she clarified.
She said that her statement has to be taken in the right spirit. “If it is interpreted in a wrong way, it can disturb linguistic harmony. I was overwhelmed by the linguistic harmony that I witnessed at the sammelan. I made the statement in an emotional state. I am a proud Kannadati and will remain so,” the clarification said.
Meanwhile, the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should offer his wise counsel to the Minister.
“It seems as if the Minister has great love for Maharashtra. Why is she talking about happenings before Independence? Those issues are no longer relevant. If Ministers keep making such statements, it amounts to raking up old disputes. If the Chief Minister has any control on his Ministers, he should give them some advice,” he said.
