Mangaluru: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s claim that Belagavi, Karwar, and Nipani belong to his state is just a diversion tactic meant to save his chair, said Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi on Saturday.
He was speaking to the media during his visit to Mangaluru city.
It can be recalled that Maharashtra CM Thackeray once again stirred up controversy by stating that areas with a majority Marathi-speaking population (basically the disputed border region between Karnataka and Maharashtra) must be made a Union Territory till they are given to Maharashtra.
Alleging that there is infighting in the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance (formed between the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP) in Maharashtra, Savadi claimed that Thackeray’s statements were diversionary in nature.
“I want to categorically tell the Maharashtra Chief Minister that Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka and we have already declared it as the second capital of the state. We are also holding legislature sessions there every year. Despite He (Thackeray) is making such statements, even though he knows these things, just to save his CM’s chair,” Savadi added.
The DCM once again stated that if Maharashtra insists on laying claim to Belagavi just because it has a large number of Marathi speaking people, Karnataka will lay claim to Mumbai as a huge number of Kannadigas from the northern and coastal regions of Karnataka live there.
