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Central Government backs Karnataka on border controversy

J. Venkatesan

`Maharashtra's claim on some areas in Karnataka unacceptable'

New Delhi: In a significant development on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border row relating to Belgaum, the Centre on Friday filed its reply in the Supreme Court stating that Maharashtra's claim for the transfer of certain Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka could not be accepted.

In its response to the notice issued by the court on Maharashtra's suit, the Centre did not admit that State's claim that the late G.B. Pant had assured the transfer of Marathi-speaking areas from Mysore State to Maharashtra. The Centre denied Maharashtra's allegation of step-motherly treatment of Marathi-speaking people. "It denies any animus towards Marathi-speaking people on the part of the then Union Government."

(In August, the Centre had served its affidavit to counsel for the parties, but it was not filed in the Registry. The present affidavit is substantially the same with minor modifications).

The Centre said, "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."

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 multilingual country such as India."

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