Tejasvi Surya slams Aaditya Thackeray for his demand to make Belagavi a Union Territory

Bengaluru South MP and BJP leader Tejasvi Surya took a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray for demanding that Belagavi be made a union territory. Surya said that young politicians like him should not indulge in regionalism and divide people.

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Speaking to reporters, Tejasvi Surya said, “It is sad that young leaders like Aaditya Thackery are resorting to divisional politics. Belagavi was, is and will remain in Karnataka. This is a time to unite people and I request him not to make any statements that draw differences among people.”

Surya further said that it is high time for the young politicians of the country to promote nationalism. “We must heal the differences between people and bring a feeling of togetherness as we all belong to one nation. People who instigate such differences will only get buried in the differences,” Tejasvi Surya added.

What did Aaditya Thackeray say?

On Monday, Thackeray wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging the state assembly to pass a resolution declaring Belagavi and Karwar as Union Territories to ensure justice for Marathi-speaking people in the region. He said, “The Karnataka government not only denied permission to the General Conference of the Maharashtra Integration Committee being held in Belgaum but also imposed a curfew in Belgaum. Borders are also being closed. Strong protest against this injustice on Marathi people!”

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There has been a long-standing dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over hundreds of villages near the border. There has also been a demand to include a few villages that have a significant number of Marathi-speaking people in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed Aaditya Thackeray and called his demand “childish.” He said, “The demand to include Belagavi in Maharashtra is purely political and irrational. The Karnataka government will not tolerate childish statements being made in this regard.”