Chavan sticks to demand

The Central governments affidavit in the Supreme Court,opposing the Maharashtra governments demand that Marathi-speaking areas along its border with Karnataka,such as Belgaum,be merged into Maharashtra,led to an outrage in the state.

While Chief Minister Ashok Chavan met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and said Maharashtra was firm on its stand,Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray called for scrapping of linguistic states if language was not considered important.

Chavan,who was in Delhi,met senior Congress leaders and ministers and said that Maharashtra would remain firm on its demand that Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka be included in Maharashtra. The NCPs state chief Madhukar Pichad said his party would react after the court delivered its verdict on the state governments petition on the issue.