Uddhav Thackeray's statement on border issue "sheer political one upmanship"; Karnataka Minister

Karnataka Minister S Suresh Kumaron Sunday termed as ''sheer political one upmanship,''Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's statement rakingup the border issue between the two states and advised him toconcentrate on preventing COVID and on developmentalactivities.

The state's Primary and Secondary Education Minister saidthat the border issue was already well settled.

''The Chief Minister of Maharashtra should concentrate onpreventing COVID, on developmental activities and otherthings. He need not go back to things already well settled.

I think it is only to whip up passions and whipping uppassions will not pay dividends these days,'' Kumar told PTI.

Noting that people now want reforms and development, hesaid, Thackeray should be advised to concentrate ongovernance and relationship with his alliance partners.

''....it (border issue) is a well settled thing, nobodycan reopen this issue.

This is sheer political one-upmanship,'' he added.

Thackeray earlier on Sunday had said that his governmentis committed towards incorporating into the state the areas ofKarnataka where Marathi-speaking people are in majority.

''Bringing Karnataka-occupied Marathi-speaking andcultural areas in Maharashtra will be the true tribute tothose who accepted martyrdom in the boundary battle.

We are united and committed towards it.

Respects to the martyrs with this promise,'' theMaharashtra CMO tweeted.

Maharashtra claims Belagavi and some other areas, whichwas part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency but currently inKarnataka, on linguistic grounds, contending that the majorityof population in these areas is Marathi-speaking.

Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, a regional organisationfighting for the merger of Belagavi and some other borderareas with Maharashtra, observes January 17 as 'martyrs' day'for those who laid down their lives for the cause in 1956.

On its part, as an assertion that Belagavi is an integralpart of the state, Karnataka has built the Suvarna VidhanaSoudha, modeled on the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariatin Bengaluru, where the legislature session is held once ayear.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)