MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has strongly condemned the recent statement by Karnataka Congress MLA Laxman Savadi, who suggested that Mumbai should be declared a Union Territory if Maharashtra leaders are demanding the same status for Belgavi. Thackeray, in a passionate response, made it clear that his party would not tolerate any efforts to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.
Referring to Mumbai as his “motherland,” Thackeray reminded the public that the Marathi people had shed blood to secure the city. He emphasized the city’s deep emotional and historical ties to the Marathi community and asserted that any attempt to undermine Mumbai’s status would be firmly opposed by the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Thackeray’s remarks came in the wake of Savadi’s controversial statement, which proposed that Mumbai should be given the same Union Territory status that some leaders in Maharashtra are advocating for Belgavi. Belgavi, a town on the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka, has long been a contentious issue due to its significant Marathi-speaking population, with Maharashtra claiming it as part of its territory.
Aaditya Thackeray called on the Congress leadership to reprimand their Karnataka MLA, warning that such statements threaten the unity of Maharashtra and the integrity of Mumbai. He emphasized that Mumbai was not given to Maharashtra by anyone else but was a hard-earned right of the Marathi people.
The issue has sparked a fresh wave of political debate, bringing the complex territorial disputes between Maharashtra and Karnataka into sharper focus. Thackeray’s statement reaffirms Shiv Sena (UBT)’s commitment to protecting the identity and heritage of Mumbai, with a clear message that the city’s unity with Maharashtra is non-negotiable.
Source: Web Team, C6N
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