Maharashtra will pass resolution on border dispute next week: Minister

Maharashtra minister Shamburaj Desai said the state government will next week bring a resolution on the border dispute with Karnataka, which will be "10 times more effective" than Karnataka's

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Maharashtra minister Shamburaj Desai on Friday said the state government will next week bring a resolution on the border dispute with Karnataka, which will be "10 times more effective" than the one passed by the neighbouring state.

The Excise Minister said the resolution will be passed by the state legislature on Monday.

Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution on the border row with Maharashtra, resolving to protect the state's interests and not to cede an inch of land to its neighbour. The resolution which also condemned the border dispute "created" by Maharashtra and moved by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, was adopted by a voice vote. Talking to reporters at the legislature complex in Nagpur, Desai said, "The state government will bring a detailed resolution on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border issue, which will be 10 times more effective than the one passed by Karnataka. It will be passed in the legislature on Monday." "I only want to say that even after the meeting of both (Maharashtra and Karnataka) chief ministers with Union Home Minister (Amit Shah), the Karnataka CM (Basavaraj Bommai) did not respect what was decided. Maharashtra CM (Eknath Shinde) and Deputy CM (Devendra Fadnavis) both want the issue to get solved through talks," the minister said.

Desai, who is a member of the Maharashtra-Karnataka Border Coordination Committee appointed by the state, added that the resolution to be passed on Monday will present Maharashtra's side more effectively and will be in the interest of Marathi people. "After the resolution is passed, we will also convey to union home minister our strong displeasure over the leaders from Maharashtra being stopped from entering Karnataka," he said. The border row had intensified in the last couple of weeks, with vehicles from either side being targeted, leaders from both the states weighing in, and pro-Kannada and Marathi activists being detained by police amid a tense atmosphere in Belagavi in Karnataka.

The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of States on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.