By Anand Ram
Karnataka is celebrating the stand taken by the Centre before the Supreme Court that Belgaum and parts of Gulbarga, over which Maharashtra had laid claim, belong to Karnataka and that the petition filed by Maharashtra in this regard should be dismissed.
In an affidavit filed before SC, the Centre said, “just because most people in the border districts speak Marathi, it is not ground enough for the areas to be appended to Maharashtra.” The Centre also told the court that both Parliament and Union government had looked into all relevant factors while considering the State Reorganisation Bill, 1956, and the Bombay Reorganisation Bill, 1960.
The issue had long been settled by the Mahajan Commission, but the Shiv Sena and its successors have tried to keep it alive. With the Centre’s firm stand now, Maharashtra’s case may see a final burial, though politically its leaders may try to keep it alive.
A jubiliant Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa has announced a special winter session of the state Assembly to be held in Belgaum later this year.