Uddhav Thackeray runs to President, urges her to make Belgaum Union territory

With President Pratibha Patil in Mumbai on Tuesday, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray grabbed the opportunity to meet her at Raj Bhavan and present to her the party’s demand to declare Belgaum a union territory, till the time the Supreme Court gives its final verdict on the ongoing case.

What’s more, Uddhav used to occasion to launch a subtle attack on his estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who on Monday said Belgaum could remain with Karnataka as long as its Marathi language, people and culture are taken care of.

“We are fortunate that people like these were not in India in the pre-Independence period, as they would not have found anything objectionable in remaining under the British rule, if those rulers gave them food,” said Thackeray without naming the MNS chief. He said the Shiv Sena has always supported the Marathi-speaking community of Belgaum and will continue to do so.

In a letter addressed to the president, Thackeray mentioned that the recent dissolution of the Belgaum municipal council had its roots in an anti-Marathi stance taken up against its people, and not because it had indulged in a scam. Terming the move as part of a strategy aimed at rooting out Marathi language, culture and Marathi manoos, the letter says, “The council was dissolved purely because of hatred for Marathi. In fact, the Marathi community in the area is suffering this injustice for the last 56 years.”

Urging Patil to look seriously into the matter “as a President” and ask the central government to declare Belgaum a union territory, Uddhav said, “Considering that people’s sentiments hold the sway in democracy, we request the government to acknowledge it.”