BENGALURU, MYSURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said that the State Government has taken all steps to protect its interests and has already announced its clear stand on the border dispute with Maharashtra. Speaking to reporters, Bommai said all the necessary steps are being taken to protect the state’s interests and protect Kannadigas. “We have already spoken with DGP and chief secretary of Maharashtra. I have spoken with our party national president JP Nadda and have made our stand clear,” the CM added.
Bommai said during his discussion with Maharashtra CM, he had appealed to his counterpart to maintain peace and tranquillity on their side and Karnataka will take care of it here and there must be no provocation from any side. Bommai clarified that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had not called him to discuss developments related to the border row.
Meanwhile, addressing reporters in Mysuru, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah blamed both the governments in Karnataka and Maharashtra for the border issue. He also slammed Bommai for failing to prevail upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene to defuse the tension. Siddaramaiah slammed what he called the reluctance of Karnataka BJP leaders to approach Modi on the issue.
“Why is there violence on the border and why is there a tense atmosphere when both the states have BJP-led governments?” he asked. He said the BJP was using the issue for political purposes. “Withdrawal of public transport between the two states has hit people,” he said. Siddaramaiah said that the CM should brief the PM on the situation and urge him to resolve the issue. He said, “The Mahajan Commission report on the matter is final and there can be no compromise on the border issue.”