The prevailing situation was summed up by John Faithfull Fleet in The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency (1894), which forms a part of the Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency (Vol-1, Part-II, Book-III) thus:[5] In defining the limits of the Kanarese language, on the west and north may be designated "by a line drawn from Sadashivgad (Karwar), westward of Belgaum, Hukkeri through Kagal and Kurundwad, passing between 'Keligaon' and 'Pandegaon' through Brahmapuri on Bhima and Solapur and thence east, to the neighbourhood of Bidar.
As for Sholapur which now officially counts as a Marathi District, Kanarese is still, to a great extent the vernacular of south east corner of it.
Belgaum, Bijapur and Dharwar collectorates together with the Kolhapur, Miraj and other Native states called the "Southern Maratha Country".
In the whole area of so-called Southern Maratha country, not a single Marathi inscription has been discovered, of a greater age than two or three centuries.
Maharashtra leader Senapati Bapat resorted to a hunger strike demanding that the government form a commission to address the border dispute.
In 1920, when the AICC session was held in Belgaum, not a single leader from Maharashtra including N C Kelkar demanded that it be part of that state.
Geographically, Kannada areas surround the city of Belgaum on three sides and by a smattering of villages belonging to Maharashtra on the fourth.
[14] On 27 October 2005, the MES-controlled BCC, amidst strong opposition by the Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and few independents, passed a resolution requesting the Karnataka State government and the Supreme Court of India to merge the disputed border areas in the districts of Belagavi (including Khanapura, Nippani and Belagavi city), Uttara Kannada (including Karwar and Haliyal) and Bidar (including Bhalki, Aurad and Basavakalyan) with Maharashtra.
On 10 November, the Mayor was served with a showcause notice by the Karnataka Government asking why the resolution should not be cancelled under Section 98 and 99 of the KMC Act.
On 21 November 2005, the Karnataka government dissolved the council, under pressure from Kannada activists, citing the violation of Section 18 of the KMC Act.
[14] The MES secretary, Maloji Astekar, insisted that the BCC resolution was in accordance with the provisions of the KMC Act, 1976, and Fundamental Rights enshrined under Article 19(1) of the Constitution of India.
The legal team of MES pointed out that both the cancellation of the resolution and the dissolution of the council were done without giving 15 days' time as was stipulated in the notice to enable the Mayor to submit his explanations.
[16] After the MES-headed Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) was dissolved, the MES said that it would challenge the move in the Karnataka High Court, claiming that it discriminated against Marathi-speaking people.
The BCC was dissolved on several grounds, including passing a resolution seeking merger of Marathi-speaking areas in the border district with Maharashtra.
Pre-empting the MES move, the Karnataka Government filed a caveat in the High Court, requesting it not to pass any order without hearing its counsel.
MES working president Deepak Dalvi alleged that they "were being treated like slaves and hence will go to the High Court for justice" and the state government's action was "an assault on democracy".
[17] Fearing the dissolution of Belagavi taluk panchayat, the MES changed its stance and told the government that it had 'just discussed the issue and not passed a resolution'.
Finally, on 15 March 2006, the Maharashtra government filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India, staking a claim over Belagavi City.
Maharashtra asked that the 865 disputed villages including Belagavi be placed under the central government's rule until the Supreme Court's final verdict.
[20] On 25 September 2006, amidst vociferous protests by MES, the Karnataka state government convened a five-day Assembly session, for the first time outside capital Bengaluru, in Belagavi to assert its hold over the city.
[22] The Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy declared that the joint legislative session will be held every year in Belagavi, and a mini Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat) will be built in the city.
[23] The Houses unanimously adopted a resolution, endorsing the Mahajan Commission report which declared Belagavi a part of Karnataka.
Ironically, the decision to hold the legislative session at Belagavi was taken by the previous Dharam Singh government, when Congress was in power.
[25] On the same day that the Karnataka Assembly session convened in Belagavi, the MES organised a mahamelava ("The Great Meet-up"), which received a huge response.
The mahamelava was attended by the Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister, R. R. Patil and many leaders from Shiv Sena, NCP and MES.
The convention was intended to send a strong message "to all concerned" that the 10 crore people of Maharashtra were with the Marathi-speaking populace of the border areas in their "struggle".
The leaders ridiculed the Karnataka Government's assembly session and vowed to merge Belagavi and adjoining areas into Maharashtra.
[citation needed] Karnataka Border Agitation Committee, an umbrella body of pro-Kannada outfits, called a statewide bandh in Karnataka in October 2006 to press for the implementation of Mahajan Commission report and to protest what the organisers called "step-motherly" treatment of the state by the centre.
[29] Information technology and BPO industries in Bangalore closed their facilities for the day, especially due to non-availability of public transport and disruption of traffic by activists supporting the bandh.
Kannada Rakshana Vedike members allegedly tore Marathi signboards and saffron flags and forced the residents of Belagavi to close their businesses.