Belagavi dispute explained: Why Karnataka and Maharashtra are fighting over one district

Explainer

The dispute between the two states over the district of Belgavi is not new and it keeps reappearing every few years. Here’s an explainer on what the dispute is.

Sanyukta Dharmadhikari

Shiv Sena leaders protest in Maharashtra

Tension and protests on both sides of the Maharashtra-Karnataka border around Belagavi over the past few days have brought back into focus the long-standing dispute between the two states over Belagavi district. On December 29, bus services from Kolhapur district in Maharashtra to Karnataka were suspended. On Sunday, Shiv Sena activists stopped the screening of a Kannada movie in Maharashtra and in Karnataka, effigies of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray were burnt. On Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister hit out at his Maharashtra counterpart, accusing him of raking up the issue again, and maintained that 'not even an inch’ of Karnataka’s land will be given away. Every few years, this 50-year-old dispute resurfaces. What is this long-standing issue and why is it suddenly in the news again? Here’s an explainer.  The over 50-year-old dispute Belagavi is a district in Karnataka, which borders Maharashtra’s Kohlapur district and the people living in Belagavi, also known as Belgaum, comprises both Kannada and Marathi speakers.  After India became independent of the British rule, these areas around Belagavi became a part of Karnataka, when the state was formed in 1956. Belagavi disrtict marked in red (Wikimedia Commons) The area has been under dispute since then. In 1948, the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (Ekikaran in Marathi means unification) was formed to push for the demands of the region to be merged with Maharashtra. The MES has been fighting for a merger of 800-odd villages in Karnataka with Maharashtra. After Belagavi was included in Karnataka, Senapati Bapat, a leader from Maharashtra, sat on a hunger strike seeking that a commission be formed to address the dispute. The state of Maharashtra then petitioned the Centre, which in 1966 constituted the Mahajan Commission led by a retired judge which in 1967 recommended that 262 villages that are under Karnataka — including Karwar and 300 other villages in Karwar, Haliyal and Supa taluks, be given to Maharashtra. However, it left the city of Belagavi, then known as Belgaum, out.  The Maharashtra government was not happy and called the report ‘illogical and biased.’ Karnataka, however, has since then sought that the commission report be implemented, but that has not happened yet. Cut to 2005 — in December, the Congress government at the Centre raked up discussions again and in 2007, the Maharashtra government moved the Supreme Court. In its petition, the Maharashtra government claimed that the Marathi speaking population in Karnataka was being sidelined and there was a feeling of ‘insecurity among them.’ Maharashtra asked that 814 villages in Belgaum, Karwar, Bidar and Gulbarga districts in Karnataka be moved under their jurisdiction since it had a majority of Marathi speaking people. That case is still being heard by the Supreme Court. In 2012, in order to reiterate its claim over Belagavi, Karnataka government inaugurated a new Assembly building, called the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, and is now the designated location for the winter session of the legislative assembly.  The recent events Earlier this month, shortly after being sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray appointed ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Eknath Shinde as co-coordinators to oversee his government's efforts to expedite the case relating to the boundary dispute. The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) also submitted a memorandum of their demands to Uddhav Thackeray. Thackeray also recently alleged in the Maharashtra Assembly that the BJP-led central government was siding with Karnataka and was ignoring Maharashtra in the Supreme Court case over the dispute. According to reports, a few days ago, Bhimashankar Patil leader of the Karnataka Navnirman Sena, a pro-Kannada group in Karnataka, claimed that leaders of the MES should be “shot dead” on the border between the two states. Following this, members of the Shiv Sena held massive protests in several towns bordering Karnataka and had shouted slogans against Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. They also barged into Apsara Theatre in Kolhapur and stopped the screening of Kannada film ‘Avane Srimannarayana’, starring Rakshith Shetty. They also blackened the boards which had names of restaurants written in Kannada. Protests by the Shiv Sena On Tuesday, Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa accused Maharashtra Chief Minister of trying to create a rift between Marathi and Kannada people.  "Our people should maintain peace and brotherhood, there is no question of giving away even an inch of Karnataka's land. Just because someone made a statement there is no need to create confusion. I appeal to our people to maintain peace," he told the media. "It has been decided in the Mahajan report what has to go to Maharashtra and Karnataka. For political benefit the Chief Minister there is trying to create confusion. I condemn it. There is no question of giving away even an inch of land," Yediyurappa added. Meanwhile, police deployment has been increased around the border areas of Belagavi, in order to make sure that no untoward incidents take place.

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No plan to subsidise alcohol for the poor: Karnataka Excise Minister refutes reports

Politics

H Nagesh told TNM that he had made no such statement and that his words were taken out of context.

Theja Ram

Karnataka Excise Minister H Nagesh on Tuesday denied that the state government had proposed subsidising alcohol for the poor. Nagesh's statement came soon after local media reported that the Excise Minister had said that the state government was planning to subsidise alcohol for the poor. Citing H Nagesh’s press conference on Tuesday, Local media reports claimed that the Karnataka government was hashing out several logistical issues related to the proposal to subsidise alcohol for the poor. Reports also falsely claimed that the government was mooting selling the subsidised liquor through the public distribution system. Refuting the allegations, Excise Minister H Nagesh told TNM that he had made no such statement and that his words were taken out of context. “During the press conference, one of the reporters asked me whether a proposal to subsidise alcohol was on the cards. I informed him that such a proposal was not new and that it had first been proposed during the Siddaramaiah government in 2013,” he said. The Minister said that the Excise Department officials had considered a proposal for subsidizing alcohol in 2013. However, the plan was shelved as doing so would mean that the government was encouraging people to drink more alcohol. “It would have become a public health issue. I told the media today that even though such a proposal was there, our government was not going to take any step to subsidise alcohol,” he said. Earlier in September, Minister Nagesh had been involved in a controversy after he said that the government was mulling over a proposal to deliver alcohol to homes. He had also spoken about a system of mobile liquor shops in the thandas (colonies) of Adivasi communities. The proposal stemmed from concerns over how people were travelling 10-15 km to find a liquor shop in some remote areas of the state.  Within 24 hours, the Minister had recanted his statement and had said that the government had no such proposal. “There are no such proposals (of starting mobile liquor shop and online liquor sale) before the state government. My statement has been misinterpreted,” he had said.     

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Education 101: Bengaluru’s ‘School Expo’ to connect parents with education experts

Education

The event is being organised at Nimhans Convention Centre, Bengaluru for schools, educators, students and educational services to come together under one roof.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

As a parent, have you ever wondered what the difference is between an ICSE school and a CBSE school? Or wondered which school you should send your child to? What are the options besides mainstream schools and how effective is home-schooling in India? “Bangalore Schools”, a Facebook community group, is organising a 'Schools expo' where parents can get answers to questions just like this, and more.  The Facebook group was started seven years ago by Swetha Sharan who works as a journalist. It was for parents in Bengaluru who felt that there is a need for a school review system, to know which school should send their children and what curriculum they should study. And now, an expo is being organised on January 4 and 5, 2020 at Nimhans Convention Centre for schools, educators, students and educational services to come together under one roof. Manoj Thelakkat, one of the group’s admins, says that on the group itself, there is a lot of engagement on the group, with over 83% of the members being active members of the group. There are currently over 42,000 members in the group. Swetha says, "All the admins are all parents themselves, and we keep an engaging discussion going in the community." Manoj says that the event was organised after several requests from the group. “The group members have been requesting some offline engagements, besides the social media posts that we make and discuss,” he says. Manoj adds that the group spent two years researching the types of educational expos that were being held in the city. They found that they were only 2 kinds of expos: School B2Bs (business-to-business), and admissions expos. ‘Bangalore Schools’ felt that there was a need for improvement. “We wanted all the pillars of education to come together under one platform,” says Manoj.  The expo has several groups involved: with private schools, parents, students, and educational services coming together for an exhibition, school admissions, and events. The events include ‘Hoop-ex talks’ which talks about the change-making that schools and individuals have brought about; a spelling bee, a ‘Family quiz’ of a team consisting of a parent and child, and ‘Educators speak’, a platform for teachers and principals to give a presentation on issues that are important to the field. In addition to this, there are panel discussions from people in the education sector, who will speak to parents on questions that plague all parents, like the choice of school or syllabus.  Meanwhile, the Facebook community continues to thrive. “We have done a lot of work for the school community, with our group initiating the refunding of admission fees and the removal of admission tests, both of which are illegal. Our group members are keen about the safety in school buses, reporting any infractions by bus-drivers to the group, which prompts the schools involved to take action,” Manoj added.

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Karnataka CM asks ministers to exercise caution while speaking about Jesus statue

Politics

Sources say Chief Minister Yediyurappa has instructed his colleagues to not oppose the construction of the statue, and to only speak about any irregularities in its construction.

Theja Ram

The 114-ft Jesus statue, which Kanakapura MLA DK Shivakumar wants to build has been shrouded in controversy since he laid the foundation stone for its construction on December 25. BJP leaders have slammed DK Shivakumar accusing him of trying to consolidate a vote bank. However, this has reportedly made Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa uneasy, sources close to him say. In the cabinet meeting held on Monday, Yediyurappa’s associates say that the Chief Minister instructed his cabinet colleagues to not target Congress leader DK Shivakumar regarding the construction of the statue on religious grounds. “Yediyurappa instructed his cabinet members to avoid making comments that could hurt the Christian community. Several ministers like KS Eshwarappa have taken jibes at Shivakumar because of this issue. He has instructed the cabinet ministers to only speak about any irregularities in the construction of the statue and to not oppose the construction of a statue,” the source said. This is because Yediyurappa fears that Shivakumar could consolidate a vote bank, which is currently not antagonistic towards the BJP. “Shivakumar is trying to consolidate several vote banks so he can prove to the Congress high command that he can become the KPCC President. By making remarks against another community, the BJP would lose the opportunity to tap into that voter base,” the source said. DK Shivakumar, however, refuted claims that he was bent on getting the statue erected due to political reasons. “People had told me they wanted a statue of Jesus Christ in Harobele as there was no statue of Christ in the area. The Kumaraswamy government had sanctioned the land. I had promised that I will help and I have done my job. It is not for politics or power. One has to do some things for self-satisfaction in life,” he said.    Controversy over alleged irregularities in land allocation A controversy, however, erupted when BJP leaders claimed that the statue being built at Kapala Betta in Kanakapura is gomala land. Gomala land is government land reserved as pastures for animals. Gomala land cannot be diverted as a grant to erect statues under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act 1964. According to Section 71 of the Act, lands described in revenue records, as Devarakadu, Urduve, Gunduthop, Tankbed, Phut Kharab halla, gomala, burial grounds and such lands, which in the opinion of the Government is required for, public purpose, shall not be granted for non-agricultural purposes. Revenue Department officials say that the land was granted for erecting the statue based on the Karnataka High Court judgment in 2002. In the St Anne’s Educational Society versus the State of Karnataka, the High Court had held that gomala land does not bear the rigours of section 71 of the KLA Act. “But gomala land can be allotted only if the land to cattle ratio is more than 50%. In this case, the ratio is close to 50% and the approval should not have been given. This ratio must be strictly maintained as the pasture land is to ensure that cattle get enough fodder,” the official said. Meanwhile, Revenue Minister R Ashok on Monday said that Kapala Betta comes under the Karnataka Ministry of Environment and Forests and that the land chosen for erecting the statue is unviable. “We are not opposed to constructing the statue. We need to see on whose land the statue is coming up. I have asked the Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner to submit a report and a decision will be made soon,” he said.    

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With his power in K'taka Congress waning, Siddaramaiah tries to revive his position

Politics

Following Siddaramaiah’s resignation as Congress Legislature Party Leader, his detractors within the party are trying to ensure the former CM is kept out of power, say sources.

Theja Ram

The last two years have been turbulent for the Congress in Karnataka, and especially so for one of its tallest leaders – former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. From being hailed as the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate to being sidelined by his own party men, Siddaramaiah’s political career took a sharp turn after the Karnataka state Assembly election results were announced in 2018. His position within the party, insiders say, weakened considerably after the losses in the Lok Sabha elections and the bye-polls held earlier this month. Siddaramaiah’s resignation as the Congress Legislature Party Leader was also a huge sign that his detractors within the Congress were trying to desperately win the game of one-upmanship and ensure that Siddaramaiah is kept out of power. Amid this turbulence in the Congress, speculation began in Karnataka’s political circles that Siddaramaiah is pursuing other political avenues as his detractors in the Congress, are bent on sidelining him. Several of Siddaramaiah’s close confidantes say that in order for Siddaramaiah to remain relevant in state politics, he is considering several options before him. Sources also say that it is not new for Siddaramaiah to orchestrate scenarios in order to have a better bargaining chip with the high command. What are Siddaramaiah’s options? Confidantes of Siddaramaiah allege that his meeting with the BJP leaders including rebel turned BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, was a ploy to alert the Congress high command that he is considering other options to enhance his political career. Sources close to the former Chief Minister say that he wants to create a scenario to negotiate a good deal with the high command. Sources say that Siddaramaiah is threatening to move away from the Congress, if the high command does not allow him to retain power within the party. There is speculation that he is proposing to quit the party either to form a party of his own or join the Janata Dal (United), thereby eliminating his major opponents – the JD(S). “He is threatening to take away his loyalists and form a new party. This is a typical tactic Siddaramaiah uses when he wants to get something from the high command,” the source says. However, not many believe that he will actually move away from the Congress. Why does Siddaramaiah want to negotiate his position in the party? By losing his status as the most sought-after leader of the Karnataka Congress, his detractors within the party including former Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwara and former Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar have only swooped in to claim the void that was created after Siddaramaiah resigned as the CLP leader. Party insiders say that Siddaramaiah is being sidelined as his detractors want the high command to offer a chance to other leaders to revive the party in the state. “Since he is in a position of disadvantage, he needs to negotiate a better deal or his loyalists and his son’s political careers are at stake,” the source adds. Sources say that DK Shivakumar is lobbying for the KPCC President’s post, which became vacant after Dinesh Gundu Rao’s resignation on December 9. DK Shivakumar and senior leaders like BK Harisprasad, Ramalinga Reddy, HK Patil and Shamnur Shivashankarappa are believed to have put their foot down and informed the high command that Siddaramaiah’s move to negotiate must not be entertained. “Siddaramaiah wants to get the post of Leader of Opposition and ensure that his man becomes the KPCC President. DK Shivakumar and others do not want that. DK Shivakumar has been trying to assure Siddaramaiah that both he and his son Yathindra would be comfortable accommodated in the party. The high command is unlikely to agree to Siddaramaiah’s demands,” the source says.      

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IMA scam: CBI raids two Income Tax officials, properties across Bengaluru and TN

Crime

Earlier this month, the CBI had sought sanction from the state government to prosecute two IPS officers.

TNM Staff

In another development in the probe in the Rs 4,000-crore I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) ponzi scam in Bengaluru, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday raided two senior Income Tax sleuths in Bengaluru. Three other middlemen associated with the company were also probed, officials said. The two I-T officers who were probed worked as the Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (DCIT) and Assistance Commissioner of Income Tax (ACIT) in the Income Tax Department (Investigation Wing/Assessment Wing), Bengaluru when the scam broke, reported The Hindu. According to reports, the raids were carried out in eight locations across Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Five of the locations were in Bengaluru and the other three in Karwar, Hosur and Salem. A press release issued by the central probe agency has found that these two officials had earlier carried out a search of IMA’s accounts in 2017. The CBI is probing an allegation that the two officers failed to take coercive action against the deduction of TDS on interest payments and the huge cash payment entries in the books of accounts of IMA group. Further, it is alleged that the accounts of IMA which was frozen following the I-T search were unfrozen after they were allegedly paid huge bribes. This development comes after the CBI, earlier this month, had sought the sanction to prosecute six Karnataka officials, including two senior IPS officers posted in the state, in connection with the case.  The CBI has written to the Karnataka government seeking a nod for prosecuting IPS officers Hemant Nimbalkar of 1998 batch and Ajay Hilori of 2008 batch. The residences of the two officers were also searched by the CBI earlier this year.  While Nimbalkar was posted as the then Inspector General of Economic Offences, Hilori was the then Deputy Commissioner of East Bengaluru, the sources said. Besides, the CBI has also sought similar sanction for the then Deputy Superintendent of Police (CID) EB Sridhara, Inspector and SHO Commercial Street Police Station M Ramesh and sub-inspector of the station P Gowrishankar and the then Assistant Commissioner Bengaluru North Sub Division LC Nagaraj. Sridhara was the inquiry officer and Hemant Nimbalkar was the supervisory officer in the enquiry done by CID EOW (Economic offences wing) into activities of IMA group entities, CBI officials had previously said.

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Starting from Dec 31 night, BMTC will run additional metro feeder buses

Transport

These new bus services will be in addition to the 143 night services that the BMTC already operates.

TNM Staff

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the state-run bus company, will run extra metro feeder buses starting from midnight of the New Year's Eve for all the days of the week.   BMTC officials said this would facilitate comfortable, reliable and affordable transport facility in and around Bengaluru city for those working till late hours. These new bus services will be in addition to the 143 night services that the BMTC already operates. On Saturday, the  Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited said it will run metro service till 2 am only for New Year’s Day. Earlier, City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao told the media that he had requested both BMRCL and BMTC to extend their service timings for those who gather in public places for the New Year celebrations. New Year’s Eve celebrations at Bengaluru’s MG Road and Brigade Road attract thousands of people from across the city every year.  Other than extended bus and metro services, police have taken a number of safety measures like deploying additional CCTV cameras, drones, watch towers and LED screens in specific areas. Tents with two or three police officers, including a woman police officer, will also be set up so that the public can report any case of harassment or crime easily. These tents will be coming up in areas in Bengaluru’s Central Business District.  Further, Deputy Commissioners of Police will be doing the rounds on New Year’s Eve. Drunk driving checks will also be conducted in the city. Personnel from Civil Defence, City Armed Reserve Police and Karnataka State Reserve Police will also be deployed in the city. 

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