Shah cancels time allotted to MVA MPs

Mumbai: Union Amit Shah on Thursday cancelled his appointment with Parliamentarians from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance comprising the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray after the issue of border dispute was raised in the Lok Sabha. While the official reason given was that Shah could not reach Parliament House on time, those familiar with the issue say the fact is that the Union government is reluctant to intervene in the matter.

Even after it became evident that Shah would not be in the Parliament building for their meeting, which had been scheduled for 12.40 pm on Thursday, the MVA MPs proceeded to Shah’s office anyway. There, they issued a statement, which was also emailed to the minister. In addition to detailing the sentiments of the Marathi-speaking populace of the border areas such as Belagavi, Karwar and Nipani, the statement also details the on-ground situation, which has turned violent. Further, the MVA MPs have also demanded that the Centre intervene to stem the constantly rising tensions immediately. “We went together to Shah’s office to make this statement to underline that the opposition parties in Maharashtra are equally serious about this issue,” one MP said.