Patil cautions Karnataka on Belgaum

Mumbai, Sep 28 (UNI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil today cautioned the Karnataka government against making Belgaum its second capital, saying the move could have far-reaching implications leading to division of Karnataka itself.

He said Karnataka has two major communities which are influential in northern and southern areas of the state. ''The two communities are culturally different and both have always been against each other. Their differences are the play ground of politics in Karnataka. With Belgaum getting second capital status, there is a possibility of the demand for separate State emerging in northern areas as also the possibility of the Centre setting up a second State reorganisation committee. Hence, the possibility of Karnataka being divided can not be ruled out in its attempts to foil Maharashtra's claim over Belgaum'', Mr Patil said in a two-page statement issued in Marathi.

He described Karnataka's proposal to give the status of second capital to Belgaum '' a laughable attempt'' to neutralise the claim of Maharashtra on Belgaum city.

Mr Patil of the Nationalist Congress Party reminded Karnataka that it has a 50 year old dispute with Kerala over Kasargod taluka.

He said when Kerala upgraded Kasargod to a district, Karnataka had raised a hue and cry demanding status quo of the disputed boundary areas. But now the proposed act to make the disputed Belgaum its second capital shows its double standards'', Mr Patil, who addressed the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) meeting on Belgaum earlier this week, said.

He pointed out that towns and villages in Kasargod, which Karnataka is claiming, did not have majority Kannada-speaking population at the time of the reorganisation of States on linguistic basis in 1956. ''But Belgaum had a majority of Marathi-speaking population in 1956 and continues to have people speaking Marathi.'' Rejecting Karnataka's ''threat'' to demand Solapur if Maharashtra staked claim on Belgaum, Mr Patil said the Kannada-speaking people in Solapur were in minority. ''There are more Kannada-speaking people in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. How can Karnataka claim Solapur'', he asked.

He said in the last decade, Karnataka reorganised its districts, increasing their number but did not divide large Belgaum district so as to ensure its claim over it.

Mr Patil appealed to people of Karnataka to oppose the decision of their government so that the state remains united and intact.

Maharashtra government only demands that the boundaries be redrawn so that minimum number of linguistic minorities live on both sides of the border.

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