Chikkodi
MLA Laxman Savadi strongly criticised Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) workers for repeatedly raising demands to merge Belagavi with Maharashtra, calling them “hired agitators” who should now “sit quietly.”
Speaking at the Karnataka Rajyotsava celebration organised by the taluk administration in Athani, Savadi said, “MES activists live on Karnataka soil and yet keep shouting that Belagavi belongs to Maharashtra. They have no right to make such claims. Belagavi is the land of Kittur Rani Chennamma, who fought the British — it belongs to Karnataka, not Maharashtra.”
He warned that if Maharashtra leaders continue to make provocative statements, Karnataka too could demand the inclusion of Mumbai, since representatives from this region once served in the Mumbai province.
Savadi further urged the state government to ensure that teachers working in government schools admit their children to the same schools and promote Kannada education. “It is hypocritical for those who fight for Kannada to send their children abroad for education,” he said.
Welcoming the annual ₹5,000 crore grant for Kalyana Karnataka, Savadi demanded a similar special package for Kittur Karnataka. He added that the government has formed the Govindaraj Committee after the Nanjundappa report expired, which will identify backward taluks in five districts and recommend development measures to uplift the region.
