Bangalore:
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that his government has made all preparations to continue the legal battle over the Maharashtra border dispute in the Supreme Court.
The development comes after the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra appointed ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai to coordinate the lawsuit on the matter with a legal team.
Mr Bommai told reporters on Monday that the state has formed a team of senior lawyers to fight the case in the Supreme Court when it comes to court.
The team will consist of former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, Shyam Diwan, former Karnataka Advocate General Uday Holla and Maruti Jirale, according to Bommai.
“The team has made all preparations to challenge the case (in the Supreme Court). Tomorrow I will also have a video conference with these lawyers,” said the chief minister of Karnataka.
Mr Bommai claimed that the enforceability of the case has not yet been decided let alone the main request. “That is why we have made all preparations to claim that the petition cannot be maintained,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that under Article 3 of the Constitution, the State Reorganization Act has been passed. After the reorganization of the states, no request for review has been considered in the country, he added.
Mr. Bommai claimed that politics in Maharashtra depended only on border disputes.
“What has happened in Maharashtra is that the border dispute itself has become a political object. Irrespective of the party, all political parties are raising the issue for their political reasons. But they will never succeed,” Bommai said.
Since its establishment in 1960, Maharashtra has been embroiled in a dispute with Karnataka over the status of the Belgaum district (also called Belagavi) and 80 other Marathi-speaking villages, which are under the control of the southern state.
The Chief Minister stressed that the state government is strong enough to protect its borders.
“Moreover, when it comes to the Kannada state, language and water, we are all fighting in unison. Also in the coming days, we will fight together,” said Bommai.
He said he will write to the leader of the opposition and the leaders of other political parties on this issue.
Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah had also warned the state government to wake up to the move of the Maharashtra government.
“The Maharashtra government has taken a special interest in the Belagavi border issue. @BJP4Karnataka should wake up immediately and convene an all-party meeting to discuss the way forward,” tweeted the stalwart congressman.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured video of the day
Former bureaucrat Arun Goel takes office as election commissioner