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Border row: Patil blamed for delay in Centre's report

Staff Correspondent

LARGE CROWD: A section of the gathering at the MES-sponsored Yuva Maha Mela in Khanapur in Belgaum district on Thursday

Khanapur (Belgaum district): Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra State Assembly Ramdas Kadam has demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil accusing him of delaying the filing of the Centre's affidavit before the Supreme Court on the border dispute with Karnataka.

Addressing a gathering at the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES)-sponsored Yuva Maha Mela held on the Tararani High School ground here on Thursday, he said the Centre was yet to submit its response to the Supreme Court.

The senior Shiv Sena leader warned police against committing atrocities against Marathi-speaking people living in border areas.

The Karnataka Government should realise that there were a large number of Kannada-speaking people living in Maharashtra and in the border areas.

He criticised the Belgaum Superintendent of Police Hemant Nimbalkar for not being sympathetic to Marathi-speaking people.

However, the Centre was unable to resolve the row, he said and criticised the Mahajan Commission Report.

Referring to the demand of Kannada organisations to remove the saffron flag hoisted on the premises of Belgaum City Corporation, he said, "When the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda could not remove it, how can his son Kumarswamy?"

He viewed as a "victory" of Marathi people the decision of the Karnataka Government to retract its announcement to make Belgaum the second capital of the State.

Earlier, Maharashtra Minister of State for Dairy Development Hassan Mushrif said he had come at the instance of NCP leader and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to assure the party's full support to the Marathi-speaking people fighting for the merger of Belgaum and other areas with Maharashtra.

Speakers at the conference urged Marathi-speaking people to take up a struggle to include Bidar, Bhalki, Nippani, Belgaum, Karwar and adjoining villages with Maharashtra.

Nitin Bangude Patil of Satara asked the Marathi-speaking people to observe November 1 as "Black day" this year.

Those who addressed the gathering included MES leaders Manahokar Kinekar, MLA; Digamber Patil, MLA; president of MES-Madhyavarthi Samithi and former legislator Vasantrao Patil and former MLA V.Y. Chavan.

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