Border row: D K Shivakumar challenges Bommai to take all-party delegation to Delhi to put pressure on Union government

CM Bommai had condemned the resolution passed by the Maharashtra Assembly and said there was no question of ceding even an inch of Karnataka to Maharashtra

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief D K Shivakumar on Wednesday challenged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to take an all-party delegation to Delhi to pressurise Union Home Minister Amit Shah to give a public statement on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border row to settle the matter.

“Not surprised that the CM is merely doing lip service with hollow statements. If he actually means to not cede an inch of Karnataka to Maharashtra, he should immediately take an all-party delegation to Delhi and let Home Minister give a public assurance on the matter,” Mr. Shivakumar said in a tweet, responding to the statement of Mr. Bommai on the sensitive issue.

Expressing displeasure against the Chief Minister’s statement, the KPCC president asserted if Mr. Bommai wanted to take stringent action on the issue, he would have done so by now.

“It is not surprising that Chief Ministers are making empty statements like this. If Mr. Bommai was not ready to give up even an inch of the state’s space, he should have taken an action already,” Mr Shivakumar said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday had condemned the resolution passed by the Maharashtra Assembly and said there was no question of ceding even an inch of Karnataka to Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution moved by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the border dispute with Karnataka.

Interestingly, Chief Ministers from both the States belong to the BJP but are busy escalating the matter with an eye on approaching the Karnataka Assembly elections early next year, said the state Congress.