Mah govt to request PM on border dispute

Mumbai, Mar 18 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said the government would petition Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue of ''injustice meted to Marathi-speaking population residing in Belgaum, Karwar and Nippani in Karnataka''.

''We will urge the Prime Minister to ensure that Marathi-speaking people from these regions are not subjected to any injustice,'' Mr Deshmukh said while replying to the discussion on a resolution on the border dispute moved by Leader of the Opposition Ramdas Kadam in the state Legislative Assembly today.

''Already the matter is in the Supreme Court and the Karnataka elections are due in a few months. In such a situation, there should not be any injustice to the Marathi-speaking people who have been fighting for their cause for so many years,'' he added.

Earlier, tabling the resolution, Mr Kadam alleged that Marathi-speaking people in these regions were being subjected to injustice. Even these people, elected to local bodies, were being forced to resign, he alleged. Mr Kadam demanded that the disputed areas should be carved into an Union Territory till the Supreme Court gives its judgement.

Senior PWP legislator Ganpatrao Deshmukh , Narsingh Patil (JSP), and Eknath Khadse (BJP) also expressed their views on the issue.

Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar also spoke on the occasion.

UNI JM MAZ KK AS1532