Maharashtra CM promises to get back 'Marathi-speaking' border areas from Karnataka

Reigniting the border war between Karnataka and Maharashtra, CM Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday, 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 solve the 'border dispute', Thackeray added promised to fulfill it. Thackeray had reignited the regional issue in December 2019, when he referred to Belgaum as  'Karnataka-occupied-Maharashtra' in Assembly.

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Uddhav: 'Karnataka-occupied-Maharashtra'

On 20 December 2019, in a bizarre comment, the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray questioned the Opposition BJP as to where they planned to rehabilitate Hindus migrating into India under the CAA. In the Assembly, Thackeray commented on the amended Citizenship Act which had caused protests across the country including Maharashtra. Thackeray has assured that  'Maha govt will protect everyone's rights' in the Nagpur Assembly.

"Like PoK, there was a Karnataka-occupied Maharashtra. People in Belgaum are not only Hindus but also Marathi-speaking people and wanted to be part of Maharashtra. However, they are facing oppression from the BJP-led government in Karnataka. Even for speaking the truth, the Belgaum mayor was booked for treason," he said in the Assembly. Later Shiv Sena workers burnt effigies of Karnataka CM Yediyurappa in Kolhapur, stopped state transport buses from going to Belgaum and stalled the screening of a Kannada film in a theatre Kolhapur. 

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Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue

The border issue involves a set of 800+ villages along with Belgaum district being claimed by Maharashtra as a part of the state on linguistic grounds. The Marathi-speaking majority district, which was previously a part of the Bombay presidency was given to Karnataka after independence. While several Maharashtra leaders including Senapati Bapat have fought for regaining Belgaum, the government-appointed Mahajan Commission awarded Maharashtra 264 villages including Nandagad, Nippani Khanapur in 1967, but let Karnataka keep Belgaum, while Kasargod went to Kerala.

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti which was founded in 1948, protested and have recently submitted their list of demands and memorandum to Thackeray. Later in 2005, the Maharashtra government filed a petition in the Supreme Court staking claim over Belgaum. The Supreme Court began its hearing on Maharashtra's petition on 17 January 2007 and is still being heard in the apex court.

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