Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi said on Thursday that the border issue was settled and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackarey must behave maturely and stop unnecessarily raking up the issue for political gains.
Hitting back at Mr. Thackarey’s statement that Belagavi and other areas of the State claimed by Maharashtra must be declared Union Territories, Mr. Savadi said by the same logic Karnataka would also have a claim over several areas in Maharashtra, including Mumbai. “The entire Bombay Karnataka region was under Bombay Presidency and hence we can also argue that we have a claim over Mumbai. We can make a claim on Mumbai and say till the issue is settled, let Mumbai be made a Union Territory,” he said.
Mr. Savadi said Karnataka had accepted the Mahajan Committee Report on border issue, a committee that was formed at the insistence of Maharashtra. “Maharashtra Ekeekaran Samiti has now gone to Supreme Court challenging the report, where the case is still pending. Maharashtra must now keep quiet till the apex court gives its verdict,” he said hoping the verdict will be in Karnataka’s favour only.
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