Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar today has given Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai ‘24 hours’ to stop attacks on trucks with Maharashtra registration numbers in Karnataka. He said that if the CM fails to do so, “we won’t be able to observe patience”.
The veteran politician in Mumbai said that there is a limit to their patience and if attacks on vehicles from Maharashtra doesn’t stop within 24 hours, the party will no longer observe patience. Pawar was speaking at a press conference regarding the border dispute between the two states over Karnataka’s Belagavi.
Maharashtra claims Belagavi as one of its own as the district has a significant Marathi-speaking population.
A protest carried against the proposed visit of two Maharashtra ministers to Belagavi, by the pro-Kannada organisation, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a pro-Kannada organisation, turned violent.
The organisation was accused of smearing trucks with Maharashtra licence plates with black ink. Stone pelting was also reported on the trucks.
Pawar accused Bommai of inciting ‘anti-Maharashtra protests’ due to which the ministers had to postpone their visit. Bommai said their arrival would create a law-and-order situation in the district.
NCP chief said the Karnataka CM is inviting anti-Maharashtra protests. “The Centre should stop being a spectator. This is dangerous for the unity of the nation. I am getting calls from Marathi-speaking people… they are being terrorised.”
He even urged MPs to raise the issue in the Winter Session of Parliament tomorrow. He said, “The Parliament session is about to begin. I request all MPs to come together and take a stand on the same.”
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) today announced that it is stopping the bus services to the neighbouring state on advice of the Maharashtra home department.
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