In a move that could hurt relations between the Shiv Sena and BJP,the former on Friday warned the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP Government in Karnataka over what it said was the injustice being meted out to Marathi speakers in Belgaum and the Marathi-speaking border areas of Karnataka. You feel Mumbai is Mysore. Because here lakhs of your Kannada speakers are living happily, said an editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna,referring to the Karnataka CMs statement made at a recent event in Mumbai. Then why dont you apply the same rule in the border areas like Belgaum? Why are you crushing the Marathi speakers there? Do you know what will happen if you do not stop this injustice? Then Maharashtra will take you on. Let us see what happens, it added,referring to the Karnataka Governments move to lathicharge Marathi speakers protesting the move to hold the legislature session in Belgaum. Questioning how such a Government could be called democratic,the editorial said the session was being held at a time when the dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka over the Marathi-speaking border areas was in the Supreme Court. It added that the Shiv Sena would stand by the Marathi speakers in these areas. The editorial said the BJP Government was acting on the lines of the previous Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) governments which it said had adopted similar tactics. Pointing to the pressure from Tamil politicians over the action against Tamilians in Sri Lanka,the editorial reiterated that Maharashtrians needed to imbibe the religious fundamentalism of the Muslims and the casteism of the south Indians to progress.
