The Hindu : National : Maharashtra suit not maintainable: Centre

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Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006

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National

Maharashtra suit not maintainable: Centre

J. Venkatesan

No documents to support claim on Marathi-speaking areas, court told "Linguistic homogeneity as a concept is beset with practical problems, especially in the case of a multi-lingual country such as India"

New Delhi: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that the suit filed by Maharashtra seeking a direction for transfer of certain Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka was not maintainable.

In its response to the notice issued by the court on Maharashtra's suit, the Centre said: "Maharashtra's claim that the late G.B. Pant had assured the transfer of Marathi-speaking areas from the State of Mysore to the State of Maharashtra is incorrect; in fact, the claim does not appear to be supported by the documents. The Centre denies any animus towards the Marathi-speaking people on the part of the then Union Government."

The Centre said the unwillingness of Maharashtra to accept the findings and recommendations of the Mahajan Commission and the stand of Karnataka that the report should be implemented in toto had resulted in the border dispute remaining unresolved.

Referring to Maharashtra's plea for maintaining homogeneity, the Centre said "linguistic homogeneity as a concept is beset with practical problems, especially in the case of a multi-lingual country such as India."

It said the "language of the people is one among the several criteria for the inclusion of any area in a State. The Union Government as well as Parliament had considered all the relevant factors and during the passing of the States Reorganisation Act. It is neither feasible nor desirable to demarcate the borders of villages, taluks and districts in a manner that the people speaking one language can or may be retained in one State only."

The Centre said: "Such a solution has severe practical problems and severe consequences, which have been succinctly laid out by the States Reorganisation Committee. It is submitted that in the process of reorganisation, a certain minimum amount of linguistic overlap is to be expected along the border areas."

It recalled the constitution of a "Four Man Committee" to resolve the dispute. Though the proceedings before the Committee could not yield results, this could not be attributed to the Union Government.

"Boundary disputes in any multi-lingual country are best resolved with the mutual consent/agreement of the States concerned arrived at through amicable negotiations which the Central Government is committed to facilitate," the affidavit said.

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