Karnataka flays Maharashtra over letter to Kerala on border dispute

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy came down heavily on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil for writing a letter to Kerala Chief Minister V S Achutanandan suggesting an alliance against Karnataka on the border dispute.

Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy sought to remind the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra that his action went against the federal set-up in the country. “It has the potential to disturb the unity and integrity of the country”, Kumaraswamy said in a strong reaction.

Kumaraswamy was reacting to the letter written by Patil to Achutanandan suggesting the formation of a joint front by Maharashtra and Kerala against Karnataka on the border. While Belgaum is the bone of contention between Karnataka and Maharashtra, Kasargod district in Kerala is the point of disagreement between Karnataka and Kerala.

Kumaraswamy called upon the Federal Government to initiate action against Patil for repeatedly making “irresponsible” statements on the border dispute between the two states. “These type of statements could trigger a serious law and order problem”, he said.

The Karnataka Chief Minister said the issue of Belgaum had been long settled by the Mahajan Commission report. “Such statements will not help resolve issues between states. It is a foolish statement”, he said.

Echoing the same views, Karnataka’s Minister for Home M P Prakash hoped Achutanandan ignores the letter sent by the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister. Prakash also expressed surprise over the silence maintained by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Federal Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar on the issue.

It may be mentioned here that Patil had written a four-page carefully worded letter to Achutanandan, emphasizing the need to bring in legislative and judicial measures to “rein” in Karnataka, which not only has a border dispute with Maharashtra over Belgaum, but was also seeking the transfer of Kasargod district in Kerala.

“In a nut-shell, both Maharashtra and Kerala have sufferred because of the adamant and unjustified stance taken by Karnataka over our respective border issues. It seems to have thrown to winds the very essence and spirit of linguistic creation of states”, Patil said in the letter.

Describing Achutanandan as the senior-most Chief Ministers among the Southern states, Patil sought an audience with him to formulate a common strategy against Karnataka.