Bengaluru : Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday firmly declared that Belagavi will remain an integral part of Karnataka and will never be merged with Maharashtra. Speaking at the grand procession of Bhuvaneshwari and Annamma Devi near Mysore Bank Circle in Bengaluru, the CM reiterated that the Mahajan Commission Report is final and binding on the Belagavi border dispute.
“Belagavi is the land of Kannada and part of Karnataka. There is no compromise on this issue. The Maharashtra government has approached the Supreme Court, but the Mahajan report is the ultimate word. We will never give up Belagavi,” Siddaramaiah asserted.
He also pointed out that the political influence of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) has sharply declined in the state. “There were five MES legislators earlier, but now the number has dropped to zero. Even those in MES are Kannadigas. If anyone engages in hooliganism in the name of MES, strict action will be taken,” he warned.
Assuring the government’s commitment to promoting Kannada in border regions, Siddaramaiah said the state would provide all necessary support for the development of Kannada-medium schools and cultural institutions. “Our government stands by every Kannada-speaking citizen in the border areas,” he said.
The decades-long border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra dates back to 1956, when the States Reorganisation Act was implemented. Maharashtra has since claimed Belagavi and nearby areas, citing the presence of Marathi-speaking communities. Karnataka, however, has consistently rejected the claim, maintaining that linguistic diversity cannot be the basis for territorial realignment.
Reaffirming the state’s stand, Siddaramaiah concluded, “Belagavi will forever remain with Karnataka, and no power can change that reality.”
Tags: Siddaramaiah, Belagavi border dispute, Karnataka-Maharashtra, Mahajan Commission, MES
