Slum demolition sparks row between Karnataka, Goa

The ongoing demolition of shanties illegally built on the government land in the coastal area of Baina in Goa has sparked a row between Karnataka and Goa politicians.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Goa government of trampling on the rights of some Kannadiga occupants of over 285 illegal shanties, some of which have already been demolished, Karnataka's Minister for Higher Education R.V. Deshpande on Thursday said that Goa should not forget that 20,000 odd of its young workforce is employed in the Information Technology sector in Bengaluru.

"Your 15,000 to 20,000 young Goans are working as IT professionals in Bengaluru... Don't ask any irresponsible questions," Deshpande said aggressively, when asked about the emerging differences between Karnataka and Goa over the demolition of shanties in Baina, located 45 km from Panaji.

Deshpande was speaking to reporters outside the chief minister's residence in Panaji, where he had arrived to speak to Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar over the demolition issue.

Later, speaking to reporters, Parsekar expressed shock at Deshpande's statement and said the latter should not attempt to convert the shanties issue into a Karnataka versus Goa affair.

The Goa chief minister also said there were people from several other states, including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Maharashtra living in the same shanties.

"Our people, whether they are in Bengaluru, Pune or Mumbai, they have not encroached there, like (the encroachments) in Goa. They are well settled," Parsekar said, adding that politicians should desist from making inflammatory speeches in the slum area.

"Even those living in the slums are not from Karnataka alone. They are from Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, but the law of the land applies to everyone. Therefore, please do not bring politics to this," Parsekar said.