Karnataka - Bijapur   

Maratha associations support supersession of BCC

Staff Correspondent

They say the corporation should not have adopted the resolution

BIJAPUR: The Karnataka State Maratha Seva Sangh (KMSS) and other Maratha associations have welcomed the supersession of the Belgaum City Corporation (BCC).

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Working President of KMSS Jyothiram Pawar and General Secretary of State Maratha Mahasabha Sadashiv Pawar said the BCC, which is dominated by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES), should not have adopted the resolution favouring merger of Belgaum and other areas with Maharashtra.

They said the Mahajan Committee report on the border issue said Belgaum is part of Karnataka. The MES has been inciting the people on the basis of language for a long time. The samithi, which used to win up to 10 Assembly seats in the initial years after Independence, has lost its strength. The BCC resolution was a misadventure, and the Government has taken the right decision, they added.

Harmony

They said thousands of Marathis have made Karnataka their home. Kannadigas constitute a majority of the population in Sholapur and a few other border towns. Kannadigas and Marathis have been living in harmony, and language has never been an issue. However, the MES has tried to disturb peace. The Maratha Samaj will not fall prey to its ploy, they said and added that the organisation supports the Government's decision.

Mr. Pawar said a Maratha Samaj delegation, led by KMSS president Rajaram Gaikwad, on Monday met Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra R.R. Patil and urged him not to support MES. According to him, Mr. Patil was convinced that the border issue should not be raised. Attempts to bring the issue to the fore may affect the interest of Marathis in Karnataka, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Maratha associations support supersession of BCC

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu