Karnataka - Belgaum   

We are not against Marathis, says rakshana vedike

Staff Correspondent

`Anti-Karnataka' attitude of MES opposed

Belgaum: The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike has said that it is not against linguistic minorities such as Marathi-speaking people but is only opposing the anti-Karnataka organisation Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi run by few individuals with vested political and commercial interests.

The vedike, which took out a massive procession through the main roads of the city, burnt the effigies of Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and copies of leading Marathi daily `Tarun Bharat' published from the city. Police whisked away a miscreant who allegedly threw a stone at the English name board of a shop in Ganpat Galli. Unidentified miscreants reportedly threw another stone on the procession. However, the tension, which had built up for some time following stone throwing, eased away with the presence of large number of police. The vedike activists appealed to the shopkeepers along the route of the procession to replace their name boards with Kannada name boards.

Later, addressing the processionists, vedike State unit president Narayana Gowda said the vedike was not against Marathi people but the MES for precipitating the linguistic divide and exploiting sentiments of Marathi speaking people to serve their political and commercial interests.

He alleged that Tarun Bharat was publishing "highly provocative" reports against Kannadigas and Karnataka. It was also using highly abusive language against the vedike activists.

He reiterating that vedike had no anger or hate-feeling for the Marathis, but would fight anti-Karnataka forces.

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We are not against Marathis, says rakshana vedike

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