Belgaum visit blocked, Sanjay Raut echoes CM Uddhav's 'Karnataka-occupied Maharashra' jibe

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday, January 18, slammed BJP-led Karnataka government for allegedly barring him from visiting the Belgaum district. Speaking to the media, Raut said, "Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Rohingyas can enter India but no one from Maharashtra can go to Belgaum. This is wrong. There is a dispute but it should not be so much that restrictions have to be imposed on each other."

He further added, "There is a cultural and literature program there [Belgaum] and I will go there to talk to the people. If the restrictions have been imposed, then let it be." 

Sena alleges manhandling of Minister

Earlier on Friday, Shiv Sena had alleged that Maharashtra Minister Rajendra Patil Yedravkar was manhandled and stopped from speaking at an event in Belgaum. Yedravkar was detained by the police in Belagavi, Karnataka and escorted him to the border on Friday. The minister had come to participate in the martyr’s day programme of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES).

Reacting to this, Sena MP Sanjay Raut alleged that the minister was roughed up by the police and not allowed to pay his respects to the martyrs. Taking to Twitter, Raut announced his visit to Belgaum. 

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Dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka

There has been a longstanding dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka over the status of predominantly Marathi-speaking regions such as Belgaum. Speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly on December 20, 2019, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray re-ignited the tensions as he referred to these areas as 'Karnataka-occupied Maharashtra'. 

He had said, "Like PoK, there is a Karnataka-occupied Maharashtra. People in Belagavi are not only Hindus but also Marathi-speaking people and wanted to be part of Maharashtra. However, they are facing oppression from the BJP-led government in Karnataka. Even for speaking the truth, the Belagavi mayor was booked for treason."

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(With ANI Inputs)