"Worried by what going on in Belagavi" : Sharad Pawar on Karnataka - Maharashtra border dispute

NCP leader Sharad Pawar on Tuesday addressed a media briefing on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute. He said he is worried by what is going on in Belagavi, the disputed region, and said that it is time to take a stand.Pawar gave a 24-hour’s ultimatum to resolve the issue, saying if the government fails to stop the violence, his party will resort to befitting agitations. The situation continues to be tense in the border areas of the western states with Maharashtra minister cancelling their visit to Belagavi on Tuesday, December 6. The Maharashtra government had directed Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai to visit Belagavi to address the border issue. Patil and Desai have been appointed as coordinating ministers for the issue.Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had cautioned the ministers to avoid travelling to Belagavi.

Earlier in the afternoon,  stones were pelted at a lorry with a Maharashtra number plate in the border district of Belagavi. The vehicle  was travelling from Pune to Bengaluru.At the protest today, windshield of at least one truck was damaged as scores of protesters carrying the traditional Kannada/Karnataka flag blocked traffic. Police were deployed to calm the situation, but the protesters were seen jostling with cops and laying down on the road. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his disappointment over attacks on Maharashtra’s vehicles  in several parts of Karnataka. Karnataka Chief Minister assured security of all vehicles coming from Maharashtra.Earlier on November 23, Fadnavis said no village in Maharashtra has sought merger with Karnataka recently, and there is no question of any border village "going anywhere".Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had claimed on November 22 that some village panchayats in Jat taluka of Maharashtra's Sangli district had passed a resolution in the past seeking to merge with Karnataka when they were facing a severe water crisis.The Karnataka government had devised schemes to help them by providing water, and his government was seriously considering the proposal of Jat villages, he said.