Minister Roshan Baig to forcibly sport 'Jai Maharashtra' on his chest?

Apparently instigated by minister Roshan Baig's warning to former Belagavi mayor and ZP member for praising Maharashtra, Shiv Sene has crossed all the limits to show its anger by stating that it would engrave Baig's chest with 'Jai Maharashtra'.

Shiv Sene in its mouth-piece, 'Saamana', has said that there is no patriotism in Roshan Baig's blood and his DNA should be tested to find if there was any. The paper also urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to visit Belagavi and listen to the woes of Marathis in Belagavi. Marathis in the border areas of Belagavi are being troubled by the Karnataka government, it said.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti's (MES) plan to stage a protest against the State government - on Thursday - has got strictures from Belagavi police. The members have been prohibited from raising slogans. Instead, they are allowed to protest without disturbing the peace, says a press release issued by Belavavi DySP (crime) Amaranath Reddy.

In fact, the MES had invited two Maharashtra ministers - Divakar Ravate and Deepak Savante - to participate in the protest on Thursday. However, the deputy commissioner N Jayaram has prohibited them from participating in the protest.

Although, the border dispute between Belagavi and Karnataka is nothing new, these days, the tension has escalated between the two states with MES gaining its strength in Belagavi. Recently, former Belagavi mayor Saritha Patil and ZP member Saraswathi earned the wrath of the state government for raising anti-Karnataka slogans. Roshan Baig had warned them of disqualification if they continued to protest against the state government. Condemning this, Shiv Sene had blocked KSRTC buses in Kolhapur and had even wrote 'Jai Maharashtra' on these buses.

It may be recalled here that a minister from Maharashtra had even threatened of legal action against the state government for instigating Marathis.

• MES
• Roshan Baig
• Shiv Sene