MES holds parallel session in Belgaum

Belgaum, Sep 25: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil today declared that his Government will support the agitation, demanding the merger of Marathi-speaking areas including Belgaum with Maharashtra.

Addressing a well attended convention, organised by Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) to counter the historic special session of the Karnataka Legislature here, he asserted that Marathi people of the area were agitating for justice for the last 45 years and lauded them for keeping the border dispute alive.

Congratulating the MES for organising the convention, Mr Patil said the Karnataka Government was holding the session only to prove its hold on Belgaum when the case was before the Supreme Court. The Maharashtra Government and the State's population of ten crore stood behind the aspirations of Marathi-speaking people of the border area, he added.

Accusing the Karnataka Government of ''torturing'' Marathi people, he said ''what can be expected of a Government and people that blackened the face of Belgaum Mayor for passing a resolution demanding the merger of Marathi-speaking areas with Maharashtra.'' Flaying the Karnataka Government's claim that it was holding the special session for the overall development of the region, Mr Patil said it was being held to divert the attention of the people from other issues.

Asserting that the session would not have any effect on the agitation, he appealed to the Karnataka Government to consider the feelings of Marathi-speaking people with an open mind and in the national interest as these people were agitating to get justice from the idea of forming states on linguistic basis.

UNI

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