Maharashtra BJP in a spot as Karnataka govt cracks down on demonstrators in Belgaum
Chief minister Ashok Chavan’s handling of the border dispute has helped the Congress score brownie points and split the Shiv Sena-BJP combine in the state.
Sensing that the popular sentiment could go in favour of the Sena or the MNS — both the parties have taken an aggressive stand against Karnataka — Chavan decided to play an active role in taking the matter up with the Centre.
“There is no room for any ambiguity on the boundary dispute,” Chavan said on Tuesday. “How can my stand be different from that of the people of Maharashtra?” Chavan also got the MPCC to rally round and strengthen his case at the Centre.
MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre met senior cabinet ministers and officials to draw up a strategy. “Belgaum belongs to Maharashtra,” Thakre said. “There is no question of any compromise.” The state unit plans to discuss the matter with party president Sonia Gandhi.
The Congress at the Centre is in a tight spot — an attempt to support Maharashtra could lead to negative results in Karnataka.
Also, the situation in the border areas is volatile. Chavan has suggested central rule in Belgaum to rein in the ongoing violence.
A source from the chief minister’s office said Chavan’s decision to take an all-party delegation to the prime minister was to show that all political parties in the state were united and that everyone wants the disputed 865 villages along the border merged with Maharashtra.
The Centre’s support to Maharashtra is also notable. Now that the matter is with the Supreme Court, a Congress leader said, the Centre would not antagonise its own government in the state. “It is going to be a prolonged legal battle,” he said.
Though the Sena has vowed to continue its fiery agitations, the BJP, cannot do much. The party’s state unit is worried after the Karnataka government decided to crack down on demonstrators at Belgaum. “We cannot compromise our stand,” BJP leader Eknath Khadse said. “But we will not encourage any violence during the protests.”
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