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.

Belgaum district Cricket women’s cricket association established

The Millennium gardens yesterday witnessed the establishment of the Belgaum district Cricket women’s cricket association.
Devika Sathe, India’s noted women’s team bowler, Nilima Joglekar, former captain India women’s team and others were present.
Brijesh Patel, Secretary of Karnataka Cricket Association spoke to them and assured of all the support to the association.

Station road could be closed

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 Media coverage 20-01-2009

Uproar on Mining issue in special session – MangloreanThe opposition Congress and the JDS in the special legislative assembly session being held in Belgaum today have demanded a CBI probe into the multi crore mining scam alleged to have happened under the nose of the BJP government. Mooting the proposal Deputy Opposition Leader of the Assembly T.B. Jayachandra demanded that the state should immediately hand over the probe to the CBI as there was evidences of a mega scam involving thousands of crores.

Two states, one district, and a 50-year-old dispute –Indian Express
The border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra has flared up again, with Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Monday seeking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention to “guide” the neighbouring state to give up its claim on Belgaum and other Marathi-speaking areas on the border.

Boundary row rages again- TOITension between Karnataka and Maharashtra over the Belgaum issue escalated, with both state transport corporations suspending bus services from late on Sunday evening.

Border: K’taka for PM intervention- StatesmanThe row over the merger of Marathi speaking areas in and around Belgaum took another twist today with chief minister, Mr BS Yeddyurappa, urging Prime Minsiter, Dr Manmohan Singh, to intervene.

2 M'rashtra trucks set afire – Deccan HeraldActivists of some Kannada organisations torched two mini trucks bearing Maharashtra registration numbers at Antarasanahalli on the national highway bypass near Tumkur on Monday.

Anita Kumaraswamy joins the elite group – MangloreanAnita Kumaraswamy the third MLA from a single family of H.D.Deve Gowda, took oath today at the Belgaum session of the Karnataka Legislature. Also photos here

Maharashtra-Karnataka border row stir disrupts bus services – The Hindu
The ongoing agitation over the vexed border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka has led to disruption of state transport bus services between the two neighbouring states.

Sparks fly over illegal mining In the legislature – The Hindu
The Legislative Assembly on Monday witnessed a heated debate between members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition on the subject of illegal iron-ore mining.

State may adopt another resolution on Mahajan report –The Hindu
The State Government may consider adopting yet another resolution during the ongoing Belgaum session of the legislature to reiterate its “acceptance” of the Mahajan Commission report, in view of the prevailing situation and the historical importance of Belgaum vis-À-vis the border dispute with Maharashtra.

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.

Suresh Angadi BJP candidate for Belgaum

The state BJP Election Committee on Sunday finalised its candidates for nine out of a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. Though the list was not announced, reliable sources in BJP told the Express that the names of Suresh Angadi (Belgaum). He is the sitting MP.
Source: Express Buzz

An OWL in town for shopping

Essar’s The mobile Store to open in Belgaum

Media Coverage of Belgaum on 19-01-2009

Media Coverage of Belgaum on 19-01-2009
Yeddyurappa wants Centre to intervene in border row- Manglorean.comB S Yeddyurappa today demanded the Centre intervene in problems relating to border or language issues arising between States.
Stop atrocities on Marathis in Belgaum: Joshi tells BJP-IndopiaShiv Sena leader and former Chief Minister Manohar Joshi tonight gave an ultimatum to the BJP to mend its ways with regard to the ongoing border issue and stop atrocities on Marathi-speaking people in Belgaum.
Sena activists paint Karnataka buses in saffron – IndopiaShiv Sena workers painted buses bound for the southern state in saffron.
BJP govt 'helps' MES, Shiv Sena gain foothold in Karna: Cong – IndopiaThe Congress in Karnataka today alleged that the BJP Government was&aposhelping&aposthe Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and Shiv Sena gain a foothold in the state amid inter-state land disputes, as evident from permission granted to the two outfits to hold meetings at Belgaum last week.
Maharashtra CM should take strong stand on boundary dispute’- Zee newsMaharashtra Ekikaran Samiti on Sunday said the five-decade old boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka can be solved only if Chief Minister Ashok Chavan takes a "strong stand" on the issue.

Denying permission to ‘Maha Melav’ was wrong

Denying permission to ‘Maha Melav’ was wrong
The decision to deny permission to the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) to hold the “Maha Melav” was politically wrong decision, according to a senior Minister.
KPCC member L.B. Karale did not appreciate the decision of the Government to deny permission to MES to hold its convention. He observed that the Government had acted undemocratically under the pressure from some Kannada groups.
Mr. Karale sought to convey that MES had no case against Karnataka or Kannadigas. They are against the States Reorganisation Commission injustice.
BJP leader Suresh C. Angadi, MP, said he and Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar B. Kore had insisted that there was nothing wrong in according permission, as the MES meet held on September 25, 2006, was peaceful.
Source The Hindu

Now these comments can strike off another a battle of war of words between many. But see this from a political point of view.
The Marathi speaking populace who last time voted for the BJP for the Loksabha seat, this time may not vote the same way, so they are worried and Congress knows this and hence this new interpretation.

Belgaum SP 'kicks off' errant officer

Vikas Lamani, attached to the APMC Yard police station, was on duty near JNMC Road on Kolhapur Circle here, when Superintendent of Police Narang (not in uniform) on regular rounds spotted a torn poster of a senior political leader (former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy ) and questioned the sub-inspector.A babbling Lamani failed to give a satisfactory answer. Irked by his arrogant behaviour, Narang lost her cool and kicked him, with her footwear on.
Sonia Narang had earlier slapped legislator Renukacharya in Davangere.
Disturbed by what he thought was a double affront, Lamani decided to kill himself. He whipped out his service revolver and tried to shoot himself, but fortunately his friends snatched the weapon away.
Source: Deccan Herald & The Hindu

Why this fire?