Vijayapura: Kannadigas living in Marathi land have warned the Maharashtra Government to let them join Karnataka if their demands are not met within a week.
The Kannadigas, who had gathered at Malakara Siddha Temple in Umadi Town of Jat Taluk on the night of Friday November 25, have given a week’s time to the Maharashtra Government. “Give us water or let us join Karnataka,” they warned.
According to the Mahajan Commission Report, Jat, Akkalkota, Latur, Solapur, Kolhapur, and other areas in Maharashtra where Kannadigas live, are certain to fall under Karnataka. Therefore, the Maharashtra Government is not developing kannayda villages in its land as it thinks that the development of the region is in vain.
The fight for the implementation of Mahishala Lift Irrigation scheme to irrigate 42 villages in Jat Taluk of Sangli District is still going on. For this, Mahisha has formed an organisation in the name of Pani Sangharsh Parishad and has been fighting for it.
There are also struggles to provide drinking water, health, funds for strengthening Kannada schools, roads, transport, electricity and other basic amenities to the Kannada villages in the border areas. However, in the last four decades, the Maharashtra Government has not responded to the sentiments of Kannadigas in the border areas. The promises made have not been fulfilled. It was decided in the meeting to urge the Maharashtra Government to allow them to join karnataka as per a resolution passed by 42 Gram Panchayats a decade ago.