The dispute over Belagavi

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• The inter-State border dispute over Belagavi between Karnataka and Maharashtra has erupted again.

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• Current status: Belgaum or Belagavi is currently part of Karnataka but is claimed by Maharashtra. 

Image Courtesy: the quint

History of conflict

• Decades-old conflict: The border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra is decades old.
• In colonial times: several districts that are now part of Karnataka Vijayapura, Belagavi, Dharwad and Uttara Kannada were under the erstwhile Bombay Presidency.
• At the time of Independence: the region of Belagavi (the Belgaum) was part of the Bombay presidency.
• States Reorganization Act, 1956: The border town of Belagavi has been a part of Karnataka since boundaries were demarcated on linguistic lines under the States Reorganization Act, 1956.
  • The region was, however, integrated with the state of Mysore (now Karnataka) during the reorganization of states on linguistic lines.
    • MES (Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti): The MES (Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti) came into existence in 1948 with the sole aim of pushing for integration of Belgaum with Maharashtra during the reorganization of states.

Maharashtra’s argument

• Largely Marathi-speaking region: The claim of the pro-Marathi groups is that Belagavi is a largely Marathi-speaking region with many parts being exclusively Marathi speaking and that the region should be a part of Maharashtra instead of Karnataka which is a Kannada-speaking state.
• The matter is in the Supreme Court: The Maharashtra government has challenged the integration of Belagavi with Karnataka and the matter is in the Supreme Court.
• Attempt to make it a union territory: Maharashtra and MES have also in the past sought declaration of Belagavi as a union territory.

Karnataka’s argument

• Higher Kannada-speaking population: Pro-Kannada groups argue that the Marathi population is only around 35 per cent which is on par with the Kannada-speaking population of the region.
• The Mahajan Commission report: Karnataka governments have passed multiple resolutions endorsing the Mahajan Commission report which gave Belagavi to Karnataka excepting for around 200 border villages.
• Demanded a ban on the MES: Political parties in Karnataka including Congress have frequently demanded a ban on the MES in the state.
• As per the 1881 census: 64.39 per cent of people in Belgaum were Kannada-speakers while 26.04 per cent spoke Marathi.

Source: TH