Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai met senior advocate and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi here on Tuesday and discussed the border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Karnataka Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadgi accompanied the chief minister.
Maharashtra has filed a petition in the Supreme seeking the transfer of some Karnataka villages to its side.
The matter, listed before the Bench headed by Justice K M Joseph on Wednesday, is unlikely to come up for hearing as the judges would be busy with the Constitution bench matters related to Jallikattu.
Karnataka has formed a team of senior advocates, comprising Rohatgi and Shyam Diwan, to fight the case in the apex court.
On 42 villages in Maharashtra’s Jath taluk seeking a merger with Karnataka, Bommai said this matter is not new as they have been issuing such statements for the last so many years due to the lack of basic infrastructure. However, since the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, it will be discussed at an all-party meeting and legal opinion taken before arriving at any conclusion, he said.
When his attention was drawn to leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah’s statement on this issue, the CM said the decision to supply water (to Maharashtra villages) was made by the previous Congress government and he sought to know why they did not include those villages in Karnataka.
“Since I am in a responsible position, I have to take decisions as per law and the Constitution.”
On the attack on KSRTC buses in Maharashtra, the CM said the state officials are in touch with the Government of Maharashtra and the situation is under control.
Bommai also met Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and requested him to expedite the process of setting up a textile park in Kalaburagi.
During his meeting with Environment and Forests Minister Bhupender Yadav, the CM requested to declare a buffer zone in Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary in Belagavi district.
At a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the CM requested to sanction more Sainik schools to Karnataka.