Maharashtra may call special session on border dispute

Mumbai, Sep 27 (UNI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil today countered the Karnataka Government's move of holding a special session of the state legislature at Belgaum by saying that the state will also consider holding a special session of the legislature only on this issue.

Talking to reporters, Mr Patil said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had already made the demand of holding the special session and several other parties were also demanding the same and added that the government would consider this demand in its Cabinet meet.

He also ridiculed the statements made by Karnataka government that it would arrest all the people demanding the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra.

''In this situation, the Karnataka government will fall short of jails'', Mr Patil warned.

''We are not interested in creating division in the society on language basis and so we have approached the Supreme Court to settle the same'', he added.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for School Education Hasan Mushrif today said a special session of the Maharashtra legislature should be called in support of merger of Belgaum and adjoining border areas in Maharashtra.

Mr Mushrif, who hails from Kolhapur - a district bordering Karnataka told reporters people were ready to get arrested on this issue.

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