Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that he has appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to fight the border dispute issue legally as it is in court now.

“We have already communicated to them that it will create law and order problem, therefore, it’s not the right time to come. I appeal to Maharashtra CM that the matter is in court and fight it legally,” said Karnataka CM on the visit of Maharashtra ministers. While Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on the border dispute that this matter is in the court, so neither Maharashtra nor Karnataka can take a decision on it, the decision will be taken by the court.

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“If the minister wants to go there, no one can stop them. The programs that were held there were on the occasion of Mahaparinirvan Divas, in such a way that there should not be any kind of controversy, there should not be any movement, so it was considered. Want to go there in future too, no one can stop anyone, in free India everyone has the right to go everywhere, no one can stop it, CM will take the final decision in this matter,” Fadnavis said.

Maharashtra ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai, who were scheduled to visit Belagavi on December 3, have postponed their visit to December 6.

Nitesh Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Belagavi said on Monday that the Maharashtra Ministers and parliamentarians will not be let inside the state of Karnataka on Tuesday.

“We have got the tour programme of two ministers of Maharashtra and one MP. Earlier, they claimed that the visit will be made on December 3 earlier, now it is informed that they will visit on Dec 6 (Tuesday),” he stated.

On the request of the Belagavi Ambedkar organization, their visit has been postponed and both will arrive in Belagavi on December 6, on the death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.

Belgaum or Belagavi is currently part of Karnataka but is claimed by Maharashtra.

After the implementation of the State Reorganization Act, of 1956, the Maharashtra government demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka.

Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states. Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer Kannada-speaking 260 villages predominantly, but it was turned down by Karnataka.

Now, both Karnataka and Maharashtra governments have approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter, and the matter is still pending.

(With Inputs From Agencies)