Border row: Gods in a dilemma

The Deccan Chronicle has been writing about Belgaum in a bit different way. Here is one more story from their stable.

Finding no solution in the courts or elsewhere to the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karntaka, the pro-Maratha lobby in Belgaum feels it has been left with no other option but to seek divine help. A team led by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra traditionally performs the pooja at the Pandarpur jathra for the welfare of the state and its people.

 People of Maharashtra have great faith in the Pandarpur jathra and believe that Vithal Rukmai blesses them with everything they ask for. This most popular jathra is attended by lakhs of devotees every year.

“The long legal battle between the governments has not been able to resolve the boundary row. This time Vithal Rukmai will listen to our prayers,” say several pro-Maharashtra leaders here, who have conveyed their sentiments to Mr Chavan.

“There is no other option left for the government but to pray,” these Marathi leaders say.

But it now seems the dispute could place even the Gods in a dilemma. According to sources, not just Maharashtrians but also lakhs of Kannadigas will take part in the jathra for the welfare of Karnataka and their own well being.

Instead of praying to solve the border issue these politicians need to pray to God for good rains and peace & we the public should pray to God for some good sense to the politicians. 

Maharashtra open for out-of-court settlement of border dispute

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday said that his government was open to an out-of-court settlement on the long-pending boundary dispute with Karnataka.

Mr. Chavan was speaking at the Legislative Assembly in reply to the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the joint session of the state legislature; we wish to accelerate the border issue towards a settlement in this golden jubilee year of foundation of Maharashtra state he said.

Maharashtra will not tolerate injustice on the Marathi-speaking people of Belgaum, Karwar, Nippani and other areas on the Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary. There will be no compromise on this issue he added.

Source: The Hindu

Karnataka police uniting the divided Ekikaran samiti

The intervention of the Karnataka police brought the situation under control at Hindalga where a homage paying ceremony was organized in the memory of those killed on June 1, 1986   in the agitation against the Karnataka Government’s ‘Kannada Sakti’ which was organized by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti.

On June 1, 1986, 9 Marathi’s Mohan Patil, Parshram, Bharmanna Kadam, Bhavku Chavan, Kallappa Uchgaonkar, Maruti Gavde, Shankar Khanurkar lost their lives in the firing done by the police.

The MES had organized a homage paying ceremony today at Hindalga. The internal spat within the Samiti between the City Samiti and Taluka Samiti came to the fore front.  Already there are two factions in the MES, one is led by Kiran Thakur and other is led by N D Patil. Both the factions paid their respects to the martyr’s in two different functions. There was a verbal spat between the Maloji Ashtekar led faction and the Deepak Dalvi city faction. The Taluka samiti leaders were alleging that the City samiti were not working actively.

Maloji Ashtekar said that 3 Marathi news papers should act in a manner in which the border issue is highlighted in a nicer way. He added that competition should be kept aside and the cause for Marathi should be taken up first by the Marathi media.

Photos: Prakash

Belgaum boundary dispute in the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Karnataka government on an application moved by Maharashtra contending that the boundary issues between the two states have not been settled in accordance with the settled principle.

Maharashtra govt. has challenged the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 and the Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960.

In its affidavit, the Centre said: “The language of the people is one among the several criteria for inclusion of any area in a State. The Union government as well as Parliament had considered all relevant factors during the passing of the States Reorganisation Act. It is neither feasible nor desirable to demarcate the borders of villages, taluks and districts in a manner that the people speaking one language can or may be retained in one State only.”

In view of the Centre’s stand, Maharashtra sought an amendment to the suit stating the disputed Marathi-speaking areas of the pre-Independence province of Bombay should have continued with the erstwhile State of Bombay and then with Maharashtra on the basis of the principle of reorganisation adopted by the States Reorganisation Commission. The transfer of Marathi-speaking areas to Karnataka was contrary to the basic principle of State reorganisation and an arbitrary and unreasonable exercise of power under Article 3 (formation of new States).

The article deals with linguistic and cultural homogeneity and wishes of people of an area affected by reorganisation. The state government said even before Independence, provinces had been created on linguistic basis, deferring to the wishes of people of the affected areas.
Maharashtra says if language was the basis of reorganisation, all Marathi-speaking areas should have come to Maharashtra. A promise that the finer points of a broad division of linguistically contiguous areas would be worked out later didn’t materialise.
Now, it wants a comprehensive exercise going right down to the village level to ensure that not even a single Marathi-speaking village is left behind in Karnataka.
The inhabitants of the disputed area are being denied their fundamental right to live with dignity, without fear or oppression and the right to educate their children in their own language.

Source: The Hindu
TelegraphIndia Rediff

BJP to resolve the Karnataka Maharashtra border row if it comes to power

The BJP expressed confidence, that the Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute will be resolved amicably if the party comes to power at the Centre, and ruled out "differences" with ally Shiv Sena over the row.

Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters, "BJP believes that inter-state issues could be resolved only through dialogue. If our BJP government comes to power at Centre, a satisfactory way-out will be found."
Source: Times Now

Border row: Bloggers want peace:Mid-Day Story- BelgaumBlog is the first on the list

The Mid-Day has made a special story with inputs from various bloggers. I was surprised to see my sites link to be the first one. A small extract is also put on.

From The Mid-Day ---

The Belgaum border dispute between Maharastra and Karnataka has blogs reacting to the issue.
The prevailing feeling among the bloggers is that both the people and the authorities in both the states should exercise restraint and strive for peace.

This blogger (http://belgaumblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/belgaum-is-peaceful-but-not-belgaum.html ) is urging all the people concerned to keep calm. The blogger feels that an issue of 52 years can't be settled in a day.
In a post titled "Belgaum is peaceful, but not Belgaum issue", the blogger says:
"I would request all to maintain peace and harmony in the city and don't believe on rumors as they spread like fire they can cause a lot of trouble."
"In all it's a tough time for all of us. As the busses are not going into Maharsahtra and their busses not coming in Karnataka, many would now take cars for travelling, but that too could be dangerous for a day or two till all settles down," says the blogger, making a request to anyone with plans to go to Maharashtra or someone coming into Karnataka, be careful.

Read the full story with others bloggers here.

Bank of Maharashtra Ransacked in Dharwad over Border issue

Pro Kannada activists today ransacked a branch of Bank of Maharashtra in Dharwad while two Maharashtra buses were damaged in stone pelting near Sankeshwar in the wake of the protests over border issue.

Source: Manglorean.com see more images and details there.

When will all this stop?
Bank of Maharashtra was ransacked today in Karnataka; tomorrow you could read Karnataka bank being ransacked in Maharashtra.

Where will all this lead? Pro Kannad or Pro Marathi but who is suffering the common man. Thankfully, nothing yet in Belgaum for the good, but eventually it might happen here also. No doubt, the security in the city is very tight due to the assembly session.

Lets all pray to God almighty to give everyone the knowledge and presence of mind not to disturb normal life.
We love Belgaum as it is, don’t destroy its peace, many years ago when there were communal riots in Belgaum, it was headlines then only on the Doordarshan then. We do not want Belgaum to be in headlines for wrong things.
“Itne Shakti hame dena Data, Man ka Vishwas Kamzor ho na”

Belgaum News briefs at 8pm

Belgaum News briefs at 8pm

With LS polls, Congress, BJP dither on stand- ExpressBuzz ****Parochial flare-ups on either side of the Karnataka- Maharashtra border has put the two national parties BJP and the Congress on a sticky wicket, while regional outfits on either side of the border are leaving no stone unturned to cash in on it in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
With elections round the corner, the Sena is likely to keep the issue alive to revive its prospects of coming to power after a gap of ten years in Maharashtra, while the MES which has been rejected by its own people in the 2007 elections in Belgaum finds it an opportunity to keep it busy for the time being.

Crowd ransacks Bank of Maharashtra in Dharwad- Indopia As protests over Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti and Shiv Sena's attempts to rake up the boundary dispute continued for the third consecutive day today in parts of Karnataka, a crowd ransacked a branch of Bank of Maharashtra in Dharwad, police said here. They damaged the bank's computers and furniture before escaping from the spot.

Karnataka reacts sharply to boundary row – The HinduThe BJP government in Karnataka on Tuesday lashed out at Maharashtra leaders' demand to declare Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka as Union Territory till Supreme Court decides on the issue, saying it would "back- fire" on that state.


War over Pariwar- TOIThe legislative assembly turned into a wrestling arena for a while on Tuesday, when some BJP members tried to attack Congress member Abaychandra Jain over his derogatory remarks on one of the Sangh Parivar organizations.

Karnataka buses stop entering Maharashtra – The Hindu
Karnataka State Transport has stopped plying its buses in bordering areas of Maharashtra after Akhil Bhartiya Chhawa Sangathan burnt a bus from the State in Latur on Sunday.

Bangalore next terror target after Mumbai- TOI
Central intelligence has alerted Karnataka that Bangalore is the next target of terrorists after the November 26 Mumbai attack, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said.

Maharashtra should get Karnataka's Marathi-speaking areas: BJP –The Hindu
At a time when its ally Shiv Sena has gone on the offensive over the vexed Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary row, Maharashtra BJP on Tuesday said it favours merger of the Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka with the State.

Belgaum is peaceful: but not Belgaum issue

From the 16th January the Belgaum issue has taken a rebirth, till then it would just erupt on a couple of days in a year and all would be good and calm later on.But this time, as I had mentioned in my previous posts this time it won’t be, the same is happening & I am not all happy with it, in fact no Belgaumite can be, be he Kannada or Marathi he will never have thought of this.
A KSRTC bus was yesterday burnt down in Maharashtra today 2 trucks with goods were burnt down in Tumkur as they had MH (Maharashtra) registration numbers.
In Bangalore, some Kannada activists burnt effigies of MES and Maharashtra politicians. In Kolhapur there were protests by cancelling the Corporation meeting.
Who is suffering, the locals. All buses are plying only in state, i.e Maharsahtra busses are going up to Maharashtra border only and Karnataka busses are only going up to Nippani. All busses to Konkan have been cancelled as a precaution. The private bus operators might also follow this, which will cause huge inconvenience to the public at large.
All border lying areas like Bijapur, Solapur, belgaum, Kolhapur have been badly affected. A report stated that many are stuck up in Pandharpur after the buses were cancelled the same situation is everywhere in the border prone areas.
Thankfully, nothing is happening in Belgaum other than the heated debate in the assembly and a host of press conferences.
I urge and appeal to all, keep your calm; an issue of 52 years can’t be settled in a day and at least not by burning down. I would request all to maintain peace and harmony in the city and don’t believe on rumors as they spread like fire they can cause a lot of trouble.
In all it’s a tough time for all of us. As the busses are not going into Maharsahtra and their busses not coming in Karnataka, many would now take cars for travelling, but that too could be dangerous for a day or two till all settles down. I would request anyone with plans to go into Maharashtra or someone coming into Karnataka, be careful.
Lets pray to God, that all goes well from tomorrow & we get back to normal life. Life in the city is very normal, but the fact that you can’t be travelling can cause some hardships.

Congress demand that the disputed Marathi speaking areas in Karnataka be declared as Union Territory till Supreme Court decides

Daring Shiv Sena to snap ties with BJP over the Belgaum border dispute, Congress in the state today demanded that the disputed Marathi speaking areas in Karnataka be declared as Union Territory till Supreme Court decides on the issue.
Flaying the Karnataka government's decision to hold the legislature session in Belgaum, MPCC Spokesman Anant Gadgil said "holding Legislature session is rubbing salt to the wounds of the Marathi people in Belgaum".
Source: The Hindu
Here again its politics over peoples issues. Because it’s the BJP in Karnataka, the congress must be saying this. Not sure nor the politicians sure of what they say and what they don’t.

Why this fire?

Gandhigiri in Thane: roses given to Driver and commuters in KSRTC bus

Belgaum is getting hotter, politically

The Karnataka Govt. citing the danger of a law and order situation has arrested Ex MLA and MES leader Manohar Kinekar, last night. Other couple of other MES leaders was also arrested with him.
The state govt, has denied the MES permission for the parallel Maha Mellava and hence these arrests. A few more could be arrested today.
There is huge police establishment in Belgaum since yesterday and Belgaum is turning into a fortress. About 4000 police personal have been called in for duty to Belgaum from various other places. Rapid Action force has also been called in.
The situation could get hotter through the day.
Even after the arrests the MES claims it will hold the maha Mellava, may what come.
Source inputs Tarun Bharat & Pudhari

Karnataka gives politicians chance to revive border row:Belgaum Media Coverage

This bit of news seems to be a continuing coverage of PTI of the issue.
I am posting this on this blog as the same will be covered by the national media, and the manner in which it is covered is important to us. But I personally liked the heading of the post (Karnataka gives politicians chance to revive border row).

Karnataka's decision to hold an assembly session in Belgaum from January 16, has given politicians a fresh opportunity to rake up the long standing border dispute with Maharashtra which is now pending with the Supreme Court.The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and some Maharashtra politicians such as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chagan Bhujbal have for long been agitating to realise their demand for merger of 856 villages and towns of Karnataka, including Belgaum, Karwar and Nippani with Maharashtra.However, MES failed to win a single seat in the Marathi-dominated areas in last year's assembly elections and the emotive appeal of the issue seems to have lost traction with the younger generation of Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka.Bhujbal, one of the leading lights of the agitation in the '80s, however, told PTI it was wrong to say the movement has lost its relevance just because the MES is not in control of the Belgaum municipality and was without representation in the Karnataka Assembly.While MES believes the Karnataka move is aimed at thwarting their "just" struggle, Karnataka, sees the session as an opportunity to remove the feeling of alienation among the Marathi-speaking people of Belgaum and at the same time assert its right over the city.This will be the second time when a Karnataka assembly session will be held in Belgaum. Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had decided to hold the first one at the end of 2007 while announcing that Belgaum would be developed as the second capital of Karnataka and Rs 100 crore would be spent for its development.The delay in arriving at an amicable solution to the boundary row was due to political and electoral interests of national parties in both the states, Bhujbal said."Delay is inevitable, but justice is important. The matter is now pending before the Supreme Court and the State Government is pressing for an early solution," he added.Maharashtra has a rightful claim over Belgaum and other areas on the basis of language and geographical continuity, said Bhujbal.Even as the dispute awaits the Supreme Court verdict, pro-merger Marathi politicians are hopeful that justice will be done and the court's judgment will go in their favour.
Source: http://newsx.com/story/41455

52 yrs on, Maha-Karnataka boundary row still stirs emotions

This is a PTI news bite pasted as on their site;
(PTI) Despite the over fifty-year old boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka becoming a matter of less concern for the new generation, the issue continues to stir emotions among the votaries of merger of Marathi-speaking areas with the southern state.
As Karnataka prepares to hold Assembly session in Belgaum, a border district, the pro-merger groups revisit their long struggle and are hopeful of "justice".
Leaders of pro-unification Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and politicians from Maharashtra, who participated in various agitations in Belgaum, said they were still awaiting the Supreme Court's verdict on the dispute, one of the last unresolved offshoots of the linguistic reorganisation.
"Justice delayed is justice denied. But we are still positive and hopeful that we will get justice," a top leader of MES, Kiran Thakur, told PTI.
MES has been observing November 1, the Rajyotsava Day (foundation day) of Karnataka as `Black Day' and January 17 as "martyrs day" every year to commemorate the martyrdom of five people from Belgaum who were killed in police firing protesting the decision to include the city in Karnataka.
The session starting in Belgaum from January 16 is the second since then Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy took the decision at the end of 2007. He had even announced that Belgaum would be developed as the second capital of Karnataka and Rs 100 crore would be spent for its development.
Karnataka sees the session as an opportunity to remove the feeling of alienation among the people of Belgaum and at the same time assert its right over the city. PTI
Source: PTI

No permission to MES to hold Maha Melava

No permission to MES to hold Maha Melava
No permission has been given to MES to hold the session. The MES had planned to invite Maharashtra deputy CM Chagan Bhujbal and Raj Thackrey on January 16 for the Maha Melava as a parallel session to the legislative session to begin on the same day.
"MES is playing with the sentiments of Kannadigas and Marathis. But we will not get in their way. We'll intervene if they create law and order problems," Yeddyurappa said.
The material brought by the MES for the said Melva was confiscated by the police.
Source: Times of India

Perception needs to be changed: Bussinessline says Belgaum is in Maharashtra

Before reading, this post read this DISCLAIMER: I am posting news from all media regarding Belgaum. My sole aim is to just make all Belgaumites aware of how the Media treats Belgaum and how the media as a whole make assumptions. Earlier I had quoted another similar story of a IIM A alumnus and this time this story is from Businessline & Businessline says source PTI(Pres Trust of India)

"NRCB scientists were evolving a method by which banana stem juice could be made to powder form, which has curative properties in treating diseases like kidney stones. Once perfected, the technology would be transferred to pharmaceutical industries, he sa id. The centre has also developed a patent technology to extract wine from banana skin and had joined hands with a group in Belgaum in Maharashtra to commercially produce banana wine. A pilot plant would soon be set up, pending approval from the union g overnment. - PTI "

See original Story on Businessline here

My earlier post had received about 12 comments, so if you go to see such posts get the maximum response, but I am not here like the TV media who can stick on to a single news bit for a whole day, let it be Bindras Gold or a boy in the well, for them all is part of the business, but its not mine.

We as responsible citizens of Belgaum should come up and fight against such nuances (Pro Marathi's, reading this will now call me Pro Kannada) a fact is a fact. Today it self Ratan Tata at last has decided to get out of West Bengal after the politics over Singur land. Similar things are happening here also. Come one now cheer up, I know your blood is boiling but Cool it, think over, will it make any difference at all.

Belgaum is in Maharashtra: Alumnus of IIM-A

The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on Sunday released a book that deals with stories of 25 of its alumni who chose the less trodden path to make their mark as successful entrepreneurs.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish", written by Rashmi Bansal -- herself an alumnus of IIM-A -- describes how 25 students of the premier B-school chose the path less trodden and successfully built new business and organisations.

Another interesting story included in the book is about a student who chose to set up sugar factories in his native place Belgum in Maharashtra instead of working with some multi-national company.

Narendra Murkumbi, who graduated from IIM-A in 1994, shut down his first company manufacturing bio-pesticides that he started after graduating from IIM-A. The reason for closure, according to Murkumbi, was its turnover of Rs 5 crore (in 1998) was "not large enough".

His second venture -- manufacturing and refining sugar -- earned him a place in a leading business magazine as one of the "new billionaires" of the country.

Shree Renuka Sugars, which the 38-year-old started, today has a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore and has changed lives of over 10,000 framers.

Moreover, five per cent of the company's earnings go to Shree Renuka Sugar Development Foundation, which runs schools for children of laborers who harvest the sugarcane, besides health centre and hospital in the factory.

To all the readers: By no means, I am trying to be pro Marathi or Pro Kannada. I am just sharing things written by learned people. They alumnus of IIM-A, the leading management institute, they should know geography a bit well I guess.

See original NDTV story here