Will the inflammation subside? Amit Shah’s discussion with Shinde, Bommai on Wednesday regarding border issues

New Delhi : There are signs of abating in the violence raging along the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured MPs of Mahavikas Aghadi on Friday that he will discuss the border dispute between these two states with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday, December 14. In the winter session of Parliament, MPs of Mahavikas Aghadi have taken a very aggressive stand in this matter.

A delegation of ten MPs of Mahavikas Aghadi led by NCP MP Supriya Sule met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his office in Parliament House on Friday morning. The delegation included Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MPs Arvind Sawant, Rajan Vikhare, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Om Raje Nimbalkar, NCP’s Amol Kolhe, Fauzia Khan, Vandana Chavan, Congress’ Rajni Patil and Balu Dhanorkar. The delegation demanded from Shah that Marathi speakers living in Belgaum, Karwar, Nipani, Bhalki and Bidar are being oppressed by the Karnataka government and should intervene in the law and order situation in those areas. Along with the ‘Mavia’ MPs, Eknath Shinde’s ‘Balasahebchi Shiv Sena’ party MPs Srirang Barane and Darishsheel Mane also reached Amit Shah’s office to meet him. However, he had to go back as the MPs of the Uddhav Thackeray group raised strong objections.

Home Minister Amit Shah accepted the statement given by MPs of ‘Mavia’ on the burning border issue and listened to them sensitively. Amol Kolhe said after the meeting that Amit Shah will hold talks with the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka on December 14. Kolhe expressed the possibility that Amit Shah would personally meet both the Chief Ministers and hold this discussion.

It would have been more appropriate if the MPs from all parties of the state had gone to meet the Home Minister. After the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute erupted, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of the state should have called an all-party meeting and discussed it, said Supriya Sule. “Earlier, when such incidents happened, the then Chief Minister tried to solve the problem by taking the opposition parties into confidence. However, the present Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are not seen taking any action in the interest of the state by taking the opposition parties into confidence. Sule alleged that while the Chief Minister of Karnataka was speaking against Maharashtra, the Chief Minister of the state did not respond to him.

‘Maviya’ is aggressive due to Shiv Raya’s contempt

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday discussed with 30 Rajya Sabha MPs of BJP from the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat on the issues of those states. Maharashtra MPs who met the Prime Minister included Udayanraje Bhosle, Prakash Javadekar, Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik. However, it is understood that the derogatory statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj or the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute were not discussed in the meeting. Supriya Sule criticized the BJP on this issue. “It is very unfortunate if no one has taken a stand on behalf of the state regarding the derogatory statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Maharashtra-Karnataka border conflict when he had the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister. Three days have passed since the session of the Parliament began, but we have not heard that those in power have spoken on this issue. The ED government of Maharashtra is acting very insensitively on the issue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Supriya Sule criticized that the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of the state are supporting Maharashtra while insulting Maharashtra, Shiv Raya and Mahatma Jotiba Phule.

MP Kolhe expressed deep anger over Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s derogatory statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He expressed his reaction that it is very unfortunate if BJP is indirectly supporting in this regard. Kolhe expressed his opinion that ‘putting party and position aside, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the best for us. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj symbolizes Maharashtra’s national identity; But Kolhe also expressed doubt that derogatory statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are not being made to divert attention from the issues ahead of Maharashtra.