Days after the Karnataka legislature cleared a resolution on the inter-state border dispute saying it would not give an inch of land to Maharashtra, both houses of Maharashtra legislature on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution to legally pursue inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages and its citizens into the state and make all-out efforts to contest the ongoing case in Supreme Court. Among the villages to be included in Maharashtra are Belagavi (earlier Belgaum), Karwar, Bidar, Balki and Nipani.
The resolution, tabled by CM Shinde in the assembly, spoke about firmly standing behind the Marathi-speaking people of the 865 villages. The CM informed the House the government has roped in noted lawyer Harish Salve to represent Maharashtra in the SC.
The resolution also requested Karnataka government to abide by terms and conditions finalised during a meeting of its CM Basavaraj Bommai with Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis with union Home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi recently. It called upon the Karnataka government to ensure safety of Marathi-speaking people in these villages.