BCC's 2005 Resolution
On 27 October 2005, the MES-controlled BCC, amidst strong opposition by the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and few independents, passed a resolution requesting the Karnataka State government and the Supreme Court of India to merge disputed border areas in the districts of Belgaum (including Khanapur, Nipani and Belgaum city), Uttara Kannada (including Karwar and Haliyal) and Bidar (including Bhalki, Aurad and Basavakalyan) with Maharashtra. However, protesting against the resolution the entire opposition parties including Congress, BJP and a few independents boycotted the meeting. The meeting also witnessed heavy verbal clashes between ruling party and the opposition. Assistant Executive Officer, N.D. Achanur advised MES members not to pass a resolution which was against the interest of the state. When MES members did not listen to his advice, the officer walked out of the office. The officials of various departments present to provide details of their departments also walked out.
Some members of a pro-Karnataka group called Kannada Rakshana Vedike manhandled the BCC mayor Vijay More, former mayor Shivaji Sunthakar and former legislator B I Patil, when the three were standing outside the Karnataka Legislators' Home in Bangalore. The attackers tore Vijay More's shirt and daubed him with black paint.
On 10 November, the Mayor was served with a showcause notice by the Karnataka Government seeking why the resolution should not be cancelled under Section 98 and 99 of the KMC Act. On 17 November, the government cancelled the resolution, without waiting for the Mayor's reply. On 17 November, it served another notice that sought an explanation from the Mayor as to why the BCC should not be dissolved under Section 99 of the KMC Act.
On 19 November, T N Chaturvedi, the Governor of Karnataka, criticised BCC during a public function. A group of Kannada organisations set 22 November as the deadline for dissolving BCC and threatened to call a State-wide bandh on 24 November if this was not done. On 21 November 2005, the Karnataka government dissolved the Council, under pressure from Kannada activists, citing violation of Section 18 of the KMC Act.
The MES secretary, Maloji Astekar, insisted that the BCC resolution was in accordance with the provisions of the KMC Act, 1976, and the Fundamental Rights enshrined under Article 19(1) of the Constitution of India. He accused the Karnataka Government of "step-motherly treatment". The legal team of MES pointed out that both the cancellation of the resolution and the dissolution of the Council were done without giving 15 days' time as was stipulated in the notice to enable the Mayor to submit his explanations. MES called a bandh in protest. A delegation of MES leaders visited Mumbai and met Maharashtra leaders, including Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Deshmukh wrote letters to Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing displeasure over the action taken against the BCC.
The former mayor of Belgaum, Vijay More, a Dalit, broke down in front of the media in Mumbai on while narrating the atrocities heaped on him by 30 Kannada fanatics. The incident which had happened right in the front of Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore when Kannada activists blackened his face and mercilessly beat him up resulting in a hand fracture. The attackers were angry with a resolution moved by More demanding the inclusion of Belgaum in Maharashtra. When he returned to Belgaum and narrated the incident to fellow corporators, one of them Satish Chavan suffered a massive heart attack and died. In the press conference in Mumbai he broke into tears and said "All of us are entitled to our opinions. But physical attacks are no way of settling differences", he stated.
Vasant Patil, former MLA from Belgaum, said for the past several decades the Marathi-speaking population of Belgaum (population 5 lakh) have been putting up with a host of atrocities heaped on them by successive governments of Karnataka. "But we are determined to get justice", he added.
Read more about this topic: Belgaum Border Dispute
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