Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has said that Shiv Sena had been raking up the Belagavi border dispute to hide the failures of its coalition government in Maharastra.
Objecting to remarks by Sena leader Sanjay Raut about “continuous attacks” against Marathi-speakers in the district, Kumaraswamy said that repeated attempts to raise the border issue were condemnable. Raut has called for an all-party delegation from Maharashtra to visit Belagavi for taking stock of the situation.
The JD(S) leader also expressed reservations on the suggestion by DyCM Laxman Savadi, who had sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to resolve the issue. “There is no need for anyone to intervene. If the PM intervenes, won’t he be influenced by the BJP leaders of Maharashtra? Will (state) BJP leaders approve if Modi hands Belagavi over to Maharashtra?” he said.