With the deadline given by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) to remove the Kannada flag from the municipal corporation premises in Belagavi ending on Wednesday, office-bearers of the samiti have decided to hold an agitation on Thursday.
The MES leaders had said that they would launch an agitation on January 21, if the Kannada flag hoisted on the municipal corporation premises was not removed by January 20.
With the deadline ending, preparations are on to stage the agitation. And, according to sources, MES and Shiv Sena leaders from Maharashtra are likely to join the agitation in an attempt to rake up the border row again.
According to sources, Marathi-speaking people residing in the villages of Belagavi district are being asked to come to Belagavi on Thursday to join the protest, which has the tacit support of the Shiv Sena.
The agitation, according to the sources, is to a plan, when a statement by Maharasthtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackarey about including “Karnataka Occupied Areas” in Maharashtra evoked strong reactions from both ruling and opposition party leaders in Karnataka.
With elections to the Belagavi Municipal Corporation due, MES leaders are likely to convert it into a poll issue, the sources said.
