Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Slams Aaditya Thackeray's Call To Make Belagavi A Union Territory: 'Childish'

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Aaditya Thackeray alleged injustice against Marathi-speaking residents in Belagavi.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday dismissed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray’s demand to declare Belagavi a Union Territory as "childish". He reaffirmed that the Mahajan Commission Report remains the final word on the matter.

Addressing reporters, Siddaramaiah as per a report on PTI stated, "It's a childish statement. The Mahajan report is final. So, neither should we ask for anything and nor should they. How can it be declared as union territory? And, if Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) protests, will we keep quiet?"

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Thackeray alleged injustice against Marathi-speaking residents in Belagavi, prompting his demand. He also criticised the Karnataka government, claiming that conditions in Belagavi were worsening even as Maharashtra celebrated the formation of its new government.

"Marathi-speaking people in Belagavi are being suppressed. Since yesterday, the situation has been deteriorating in the region. Our party workers are being detained. The previous 'unconstitutional' chief minister had promised that they would give extra funds to the Marathi-speaking people living in the disputed territory. What happened to that assurance?" the MLA asked, as per a report on PTI.

The ongoing border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra, rooted in the linguistic reorganization of states in 1957, resurfaced as the Karnataka Assembly’s winter session began. MES members protested the session reportedly leading the Karnataka government to ban gatherings in Belagavi and restrict Maharashtra leaders from entering the state.

Maharashtra claims Belagavi and over 800 nearby villages with a significant Marathi-speaking population, arguing they belonged to the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. However, Karnataka firmly upholds the demarcation under the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report, which awarded Belagavi to Karnataka.

Asserting Belagavi’s integral status within Karnataka, the state built the 'Suvarna Vidhana Soudha,' a legislative building modeled after Bengaluru’s iconic Vidhana Soudha.