Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are ignoring the aspirations of the people of Belgavi while “trying to listen to the voices of people of Pak-occupied Kashimir”, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Sunday.
“They are talking of bringing Pak-occupied Kashmir within our fold because the people desire so… But people of Belgavi are demanding their inclusion within Maharashtra for 70 years. If people’s wish as in case of Pak-Occupied Kashmir is the yardstick, then it should also be applied to Belgavi,” Raut told The Indian Express in response to his column Rokhthok published in Sena mouthpiece Saamana.
Raut said, “Since they (the BJP) have government at all the three places (Centre, Maharashtra and Karnataka), they should at least take the decision of making Belgaum (Belgavi) a Union Territory.”
At his daily customary press conference in Mumbai, Raut said that on a “70-year-old raging issue”, the Home Minister held a 15-minute meeting during which he appealed for maintenance of status quo. He was referring to the recent meeting Shah held with chief ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka in New Delhi.
“The intervention of the Home Minister was a meaningless exercise. When an intervention is done, there is some decision. In this case, the Home Minister called for maintaining the status quo. But the status quo already exists as the matter is pending in the Supreme Court.”
Raut said if the Centre desired to create a status quo situation, then it would have to take certain steps. “The status quo situation will emerge when the saffron flag which was pulled down from Belgaum municipal corporation is restored to its original place. It is Shivrai’s (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s) saffron flag which was pulled down by the Karnataka government. And then they should withdraw the false cases filed against Marathi-speaking people,” he said.
In his weekly column, Raut said Karnataka has repeatedly tried to change the “status quo” position. “After the issue went to the Supreme Court, Karnataka declared Belgaum as the second capital of the state and constructed a new legislative assembly building. The name of Belgaum was changed to Belgavi. The saffron flag was pulled down from Belgaum civic body. All this is very serious,” he said.
Criticising PM Modi, Raut said, “The Prime Minister intervenes in Ukraine-Russia war but is silent on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute.”
Raut said that while discussion are held on international border disputes like India-Pakistan, India-China and India-Myanmar, “when it comes to internal border disputes, no one is ready hold the discussion”.
Suggesting that Parliament should take up the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, Raut said, “Instead of waiting for the court decision, Parliament should resolve this issue immediately through discussion.”
Terming Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde a “helicopter chief minister”, he said, “I have heard that he has built two helipads in his native village in Satara district. That’s why I call him a helicopter CM.”
Raut said when the Karnataka CM was laying claims to villages in Solapur and Sangli, the Maharashtra CM “preferred to keep mum”.
