Belgaum or Bel-gone, who cares anyway?

The Centre said in its affidavit to the SC that the villages under dispute will continue to be with Karnataka as language cannot be the sole criterion for demarcation of inter-state boundaries. DNA asks Maharashtrians for their views.

Belgaum was never part of the state

T  he purpose of creating a separate state in the country was to integrate all Indian states under one Indian administration after Independence. At the time of independence there was a plan to create five zones for administrative reasons. But later, the then prime minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru wanted separation on basis of the languages spoken. So India was divided on basis of linguistics.

Right now the controversy is the inclusion of over 865 Marathi speaking villages which are the part of Karnataka into Maharshtra. But we must not forget that Belgaum was never a part of Maharshtra. It was under the Mysore state and the Marathi speaking population were the migrants from Maharashtra. The matter is in the Supreme Court so we should wait for the court’s decision rather than making it a political gimmick. Also, if the politicians were bothered about inclusion of Belgauam and other villages then they should have raised the issue when Maharashtra was formed on May 1, 1960. Why wait for 50 years?   
    —Rajan Jaykar, historian

Take residents’ views into consideration

As I am a Maharashtrian I support Maharashtra`s claim that over 865 Marathi speaking villages should be included in Maharashtra. Rather than our view point, views of people living in those villages’ matters as they will be affected by this. Who are we to decide on behalf of those thousand people? Rather than any political party or the centre deciding on this issue let people from those villages decide by voting. Ours is a democratic nation and regarding this issue, let the votes decide further action. According to me, people’s wish need to be considered and should be the criteria while making any boundaries.  
—Akshaya Dhuri, media person

We don’t a need newly demarcated state boundary

This is yet another example of a situation created in keeping a political agenda. It’s been 50 years since Maharashtra was created and there is no point in bring up the issue of Belgaum being included in the state now. Why would the villages want to be part of the most expensive and heavily taxed state of India? The focus should be on taking care of the villages and people already part of the state. There is massive infrastructural deficiency in the state and water, power, education are still niggling problems. So, why dig up more problems? What is the need to renew the already demarcated state boundaries?
—Gaurav Phanasgaonkar, digital group head

Forget this, focus on issues concerning our progress

Sitting here we can’t decide whether Belagum and other villages should be included in Maharashtra. According to me,  a voting procedure by the people would determine about their opinion on the whole matter is, that is whether they want to be a part of Karnataka or Maharashtra. Despite having a large workforce and resources, India is still a developing country. Why don’t we address other crucial issues first? Issues creating hindrance to nation’s progress should be addressed immediately.  Instead of language, the state government should decide the limits of the state.    
—Latika Shanbhag, teacher

Can the state govt take care of more people?

We should ask people who stay in the 865 villages of Karnataka if they want to come to Maharashtra or want to be part of Karnataka. Creating problems after years of the state formation isn’t very practical. There are other issues concerning citizens which need to be taken into consideration, like employment, commuting and education. Moreover there are number of villages and even districts in Maharshtra living in poor condition. What’s the need to include those people who are living in Karnataka to Maharashtra when there is no guarantee that people might have good living conditions here?                                       
—Swapnil Kanade, executive

More villages will mean more problems

I don't think our leaders have given the issue a serious thought. It isn’t a pragmatic demand for 865 villages to be included in Maharashtra. The state already has enough people and problems to be taken care of. So, by adding more people to state's population will only mean more problems. The government has been unable to solve problems ike power supply, water shortage and farmer’s plight that have troubled our state. The government should not waste time focusing on such irrelevant issues, but rather focus on all-round development. Demarcation of boundaries has always been a sensitive issue. The demarcation should rather be on the basis of culture and scope for development.
—Deepti Gawde, travel head

Cannot create rifts on basis of language

Marathi speaking communities living in Belgaum and other adjacent villages have been part of Karnataka and suddenly adding them to another state’s map will create unrest among citizens. I believe it should be left to the people of Belgaum to decide. Just because Belgaum gets an octroi from traders of Maharashtra seems like a greedy reason to claim boundaries. These are trivial issues that the state is pursuing.  In their false claims of promising economic development, government is creating boundaries.India is on its way on becoming an economic superpower which sees citizens travelling from one state to the other in search of better life. Language cannot be the only criterion for demarcation. What’s wrong with the existing demarcation?   
—Aarti Samant, associate

Focus more on issues like price rise

I feel that Belgaum should be a part of Maharashtra and not Karnataka. Although there has been an affidavit submitted by the central government stating that around 865 surrounding villages should be included in Belgaum but it should be noted that majority of the population residing in these areas have been identified as Marathi speaking. These communities have been closely associated with the state of Maharashtra in terms of its culture. But at the same time, I feel that the government should more focus on issues such as the rising prices of basic amenities and unemployment. In fact, inflation should be an issue of national importance and not the demarcation of boundaries. I think language should be the criteria for the demarcation of the states.
    —Bhaskar Tare, chief executive