Bengaluru: Is the change of guard in Maharashtra likely to help Karnataka in its 60-year old border dispute with it? Senior member of the border dispute legal advisory committee, S N Benegeri believes it will, arguing that the new BJP government in the neighbouring state is unlikely to push its case hard in the Supreme Court for fear of antagonising Kannadigas.
While the Congress government of Vilasrao Deshmukh had filed a case in the Supreme Court in 2004 claiming for a few border districts of Karnataka for Maharashtra, Mr. Bengeri, who assisted the Justice Mahajan Commission in the late 1960s on the border dispute, feels having a BJP government in Maharashtra could work to Karnataka’s advantage.
“The new government is unlikely to pursue the case aggressively because the BJP will not want to get into the bad books of the people of Karnataka,” he told the Deccan Chronicle. Confirming his views, former Chief Minister, B.S.Yeddyurappa, when contacted, said once the BJP formed the government in Maharashtra, all effort would be made by state BJP leaders to resolve the dispute amicably. “Legal experts have suggested that the dispute can be resolved this way. If possible we will definitely start negotiations with Maharashtra once the BJP government assumes office,” he assured.
Meanwhile, Karnataka has postponed its meeting with former Chief Justices of India and the high court scheduled for Monday to tap their expertise on the dispute. Asked why, law and parliamentary affairs minister, T.B. Jayachandra, said the meeting had been put off as the state government had arranged a felicitation for CJI, H.L. Dattu. He revealed that the legal advisory committee on the border dispute would be headed by a minister in future. “The CM is already working on this,” he added.
