Mumbai: The Maharashtra unit of Congress slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for pointing fingers at the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru over the simmering Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute, here on Wednesday.
BJP Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, while reacting to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s new claim to 40 border villages of Sangli, stated that “the entire boundary row was a blunder of Nehru”, enraging the Congress.
“Even after over eight years in power, they (BJP) have to blame Nehru for everything to hide their own failures on various counts… The people of the country have realised this,” said Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe sharply.
Elaborating, he said the BJP is having its government in Maharashtra, Karnataka, at the Centre and a majority even in the Parliament, and they can take any decision pertaining to the boundary row.
“Then why don’t you do it instead of blaming Nehru for everything, whether it is the state borders issue, inflation or the falling Rupee. For how long will you keep blaming others to cover up your own failures?” Londhe questioned.
Karnataka CM Bommai’s statements evoked sharp reactions from all political parties — the ruling alliance of BJP-Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, the Opposition Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and other organisations too.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis assured that “not a single village of the state will go to Karnataka”, while Nationalist Congress Party’s Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar urged the government to take immediate firm steps to resolve the issue and inform the people of the state.
The Karnataka CM’s utterances came just two days after Maharashtra’s high powered committee on the border row decided to extend several concessions and facilities to the people in the boundary areas of the neighbouring state.
