Border dispute: Congress demands Maha CM Eknath Shinde convene all-party meet

The Congress on Wednesday demanded Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde immediately convene an all-party meeting on the border dispute with Karnataka and spell out the state government's stand on the issue. Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat also said the recent attacks on Marathi-speaking people living around the border areas in Karnataka are very serious and asked, "if the Centre is instructing Karnataka on this issue".

"The border issue has taken a different turn. Trucks, buses and vehicles are being vandalized in Karnataka. Maharashtra will not tolerate these kinds of attacks from Karnataka," he told a press conference.

While the Opposition parties in Maharashtra have expressed concerns over the border issue and are standing firmly behind the Marathi people, the Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) continues to remain silent, he said.


"What is Maharashtra's position on the border issue? What will be their next course of action? Since there is a BJP government in Karnataka and at the Centre, is the Centre giving instructions to Karnataka on the issue? We don't know this but as this matter is serious, our Chief Minister should call the leaders of all the parties in the state and discuss it.

"We should be briefed about the facts and what is the next course of action the state government will be taking," the former minister said.

He alleged Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other ministers are constantly making anti-Maharashtra statements.

"....There is a lot of anger among the people, but the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is not taking a clear and firm stand. Seeing all this, one wonders whether the Shinde-Fadnavis government in the state has taken the border issue seriously or not, ''Thorat said.

The decades-old raging dispute between the two states spilled onto roads on Tuesday with stones being hurled at vehicles entering Karnataka from the Maharashtra side near a toll booth at Hirebaugwadi in Belagavi district of the neighbouring state.

Similarly, at least four buses from Karnataka were defaced in Pune district allegedly by activists of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.