Uddhav faction slams ban on Maharashtra MP's entry into Belagavi

Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray faction member Arvind Sawant on Monday condemned the "ban" on the entry of party MP Dhairyasheel Mane into Karnataka's Belagavi district and called it an attack on the Constitution. Sawant described the Belagavi district administration's move as an "insult" to the Home minister, saying it came close on the heels of Shah advising Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde on resolving the boundary dispute between the two states.

The ban on the entry of leaders from Maharashtra is an attack on the Constitution. The worst is that our Home Minister is being insulted by non-compliance with the advice that he gave to the chief ministers of Karnataka and Maharashtra for maintaining peace," Sawant said. Mane was recently appointed as the chief of an expert committee formed by the Maharashtra government regarding a writ petition in the Supreme Court on the border dispute with Karnataka.He had requested the Belagavi administration to make arrangements for his visit to the city. However, the district authorities banned his entry, saying a "possible inflammatory speech" by him might create law and order problems."Karnataka chief minister is not following his (Shah's) advice. We vehemently condemn it and demand that the Union Home Minister immediately intervene," Sawant said.