Maharashtra CM faces backlash for Belagavi border remark; Siddaramaiah fumes

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for his remarks of 'incorporating Marathi-speaking areas' in Karnataka into Maharashtra. In a series of tweets, the former chief minister warned Thackeray to not 'politicize the issue'. Asserting that the Mahajan report on this issue is 'final', Siddaramaiah called out the Maharashtra CM for his 'irresponsible statement'. 

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Siddaramaiah asks Karnataka CM to respond to Maha CM 

Siddaramaiah also requested the Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to give a befitting response to the 'stupid comments' made by the Maharashtra CM. 

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KPCC President DK Shivakumar also reacted to Thackeray's comment and said, "Already a decision has been taken earlier, Sarojini Mahishi report is there, various reports are there, what Karnataka is ours is what Maharsthtra is theirs, I do not want to comment much on this. "

Karnataka Water Resource Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi also attacked Thackeray for his remarks and accused Maharashtra of trying to create confusion over the issue. He said that Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka and the Mahajan Commission report has already been accepted. 

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On Sunday, CM Uddhav Thackeray paid tribute to the martyrs of the border war, stating that bringing back the Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka into the state was the only befitting tribute. Asserting his commitment to solving the 'border dispute', Thackeray added that he will fulfill his promise. Thackeray had reignited the regional issue in December 2019, when he referred to Belgaum as  'Karnataka-occupied-Maharashtra' in Assembly. He tweeted, "Bringing Karnataka-occupied Marathi-speaking areas into Maharashtra will be a true tribute to those who accepted martyrdom in the boundary battle. We are united and committed towards it.”