K'taka Dy CM seeks UT status to Mumbai, after Maha CM seeks similar status to border areas

Karnataka Deputy Chief MinisterLaxman Savadi on Wednesday said Mumbai should be made part ofthe state and urged the Centre to declare it a Union Territoryuntil then, as he hit back at Maharashtra Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray for raking up the border issue with a similardemand.

''We condemn the Maharashtra CM's statement. The Mahajanreport is final. We are confident that things will be in ourfavour in the Supreme Court too.

The demand of the people of our region is that we havebeen part of Mumbai-Karnataka (region), so we too have ourright on Mumbai,'' Savadi told reporters.

From now on, he said the people would start demandingthat Mumbai should be made part of Karnataka as they too had ashare in it.

''Until it (Mumbai) is made part of Karnataka, I urge thecentral government to make it an union territory,''the DCM saidin response to a question on repeated raking up of the borderissue.

''With us now demanding Mumbai, things may get fine,'' hesaid.

Earlier in the day Thackeray had said that areasdominated by Marathi speaking people on the state's borderwith Karnataka should be declared as a Union Territory tillthe Supreme Court gives its final verdict on the issue.

Ramesh Jarkiholi,Minister in-charge of Belagavi district,which borders Maharashtra, said Thackeray had raked up theborder issue to divert public attention from the 'failures' ofhis government.

''...Don't give much importance to what he says. UddhavThackeray has failed at all levels. So he is trying to rake upthe emotive border issue and trying to divert publicattention,'' he said.

Minister for Women and Child Development ShashikalaJolle, who also hails from the Belagavi district, saidThackeray has no right to speak about Belagavi.

''We are not sitting quiet here with our hands tied. Weare people of Karnataka...the soil of Kannada has nurturedus...if the issue is raked up repeatedly, we will give abefitting reply,'' she said.

The Minister pointed out that Belagavi is the land whereKittur Rani Chennamma had led an armed rebellion against theBritish for freedom.

Thackeray had on January 17 too said his government iscommitted towards incorporating into the state the areas ofKarnataka where Marathi-speaking people are in majority.

Maharashtra claims certain areas, including Belagavi,Karwar and Nippani which are part of Karnataka, contending themajority of population in these areas is Marathi-speaking.

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.)