A bitter war of words has broken out between two senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders holding top Constitutional posts. The Chief Minister of Karnataka and the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra are clashing over the border dispute between the two neighbouring states.
On 23 November 2022, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that no Maharashtra village will go to Karnataka, and his government will also fight in the Supreme Court to get Marathi-speaking villages like Belgaum, Karwar, and Nipani.
In response, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai said that Fadnavis had made a provocative statement on the issue, and his dream will never come true. Bommai added that while there is no question of giving up any of the state's territory, Karnataka does want Kannada-speaking areas of Maharashtra like Solapur and Akkalakot.
The border dispute has come to the fore as the Supreme Court is expected to hear the case soon. Maharashtra reportedly claims 865 villages near the border, while Karnataka claims 260 villages.
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