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Updated March 14th, 2021 at 13:18 IST

Border Row: Karnataka Transport Corporation temporarily stops bus service to Maharashtra

The suspension of bus services comes at a time when a few Maharashtra leaders have been demanding the merger of the regions dominated by Marathi-speaking people

Reported by: Ujjwal Samrat
Karnataka
| Image:self
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The border controversy between Maharashtra and Karnataka seems to be intensifying with every passing day, as the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation on Saturday temporarily suspended its operations to Kolhapur that has a substantial Kannada population. 

The suspension of bus services comes at a time when a few Maharashtra leaders have been demanding the merger of the regions dominated by Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka, especially Belagavi, which the pro-Kannada organisations have been opposing. The tension between the two states escalated when a vehicle belonging to Maharashtra was blackened in Belagavi.

"The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation officials had asked us if there was tension in Kolhapur and asked us not to run any buses. They too did not run any bus," an officer told PTI.

Sanjay Raut calls for an all-party visit

On the ongoing border row, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut called for an all-party visit and alleged with no evidence that Marathi people residing in Karnataka's Belgaum were being attacked.  

"Belgaum is part of India and the Maharashtra- Karnataka dispute is a language dispute. It shouldn't be stretched too far and this is the responsibility of the Karnataka government too," Raut said.

'Karnataka Occupied Maharashtra'

The border row was sparked when Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in December last year expressed that his government is inclined to incorporate the areas of Karnataka where Marathi-speaking people are in majority. In fact the Maharshtra CMO Twitter handle also referred to those areas as 'Karnataka Occupied Maharashtra'.

Maharashtra CMO had written, "Bringing Karnataka-occupied Marathi-speaking and cultural areas in Maharashtra will be the true tribute to those who accepted martyrdom in the boundary battle. We are united and committed towards it. Respects to the martyrs with this promise."

On this, Karnataka Deputy CM Laxman Savadi had said that Mumbai should be included in Karnataka and made a Union Territory till the issue is resolved.

Karnataka-Maharashtra border row

The seeds of border row between Maharashtra and Karnataka were sowed in the 1940s when the Belagavi municipality in present-day Karnataka, which had a significant Marathi-speaking population, had put forth a request to be included in the then proposed state of Maharashtra. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956, however, ended up incorporating Belgaum and 10 talukas of the Bombay State into the Mysore State which was renamed 'Karnataka' in 1973. The reorganisation commission had added all areas with a Kannada-speaking population of more than 50% to the then Mysore state and therefore, Belagavi and some other areas of Bombay were made part of Mysore.

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Published March 14th, 2021 at 13:18 IST

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