Home Ministry should intervene in Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute: Sule

PTI, Dec 7, 2022, 6:31 PM IST

Image Credit: ANI/Sansad TV

New Delhi: NCP leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday sought intervention of the Union Home Ministry in the ongoing border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, Sule said people of Maharashtra are getting ”beaten up” every day despite the BJP being the ruling party in both the states.

”In the last 10 days a conspiracy is being hatched to break Maharashtra. (Home Minister) Amit Shah should intervene in the matter,” she said.

BJP MPs from Karnataka objected to Sule’s remark, saying the matter is subjudice.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said it is a sensitive issue and is a matter between two states.

NCP members staged a walk out from the House in protest.

The border dispute has led to clashes between the two states recently.

The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines.

Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to 814 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of the southern state.

Karnataka, however, considers the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final.