Sharad Pawar's dream for Belgaum will never be fulfilled, says CM Bommai on border row

The border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra continues. Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai hit out at Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar saying that his politics has revolved around the border issue. But he will ensure that his wish for Belgaum will never come true. Bommai on Saturday said that Maharashtra’s petition filed in the Supreme Court in 2004 over the border dispute has no legal validity.Addressing the media at the helipad here, Bommai said that Karnataka is prepared for an effective legal battle.  “According to the State Reorganisation Act-1956 and Article 3 of the Constitution, there is no legal validity in the plea filed by Maharashtra,” Bommai added. He said that Karnataka is arguing well with senior advocates Mukul Rohatagi and Uday Holla.

“We are going to argue seriously when the issue comes up for hearing. The government has also appointed retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Shivraj Patil as head of State Border, River Formation Commission. We are acting as per the Constitution and the law of land, which is sufficient for our victory,” he said. Bommai said he is confident that Karnataka will not lose any village or town or city.On senior politician and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar trying to keep the border issue alive, he said that the former Maharashtra CM has been doing politics over the border row for many years. “His (Pawar) dream will never come true,” he said.The dispute dates back to the 1940s. In 1948, Belgaum municipality had put in a request that the district - with a majority of Marathi-speaking population - be included in the proposed Maharashtra state.India’s states were reorganised on a linguistic basis in 1956. Gradually, Belgaum and 10 other talukas of Bombay Presidency were made part of Mysore state. Mysore was renamed Karnataka in 1973.In 2004, Maharashtra had moved the Supreme Court and the legal tussle has continued.