By IANS,
Nagpur : Adding a new dimension to the ongoing Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute, the Maharashtra assembly Friday urged the central government to declare Karnataka’s Belgaum as a union territory till the final verdict of the Supreme Court on the issue.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who was replying to an adjournment motion on the issue, also said that he would lead an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the matter.
The assembly unanimously demanded that the central government should take appropriate action against the Karnataka government for its move Thursday dissolving the Belgaum City Corporation Council (BCCC) and appointing an administrator.
The state assembly members demanded that the Karnataka government must immediately reinstate the BCCC which has a tenure of nearly three and a half years remaining.
The Karnataka government’s action came ostensibly since the BCCC is controlled by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) which has been demanding merger of the Marathi-speaking areas of the region with Maharashtra.
The Karnataka government’s step has been severely castigated by all political parties in Maharashtra and evoked a sharp reaction from Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.