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Jai Vidarbha! Deshmukh takes the battle to Mantralaya

Our correspondent in Bombay

Jai Maharashtra! Everybody's familiar with this slogan at Mantralaya in Bombay. But these days, Congress leaders from Vidarbha greet each other with a hearty 'Jai Vidarbha!' And that's causing some concern in the corridors of power.

Spearheading the 'Jai Vidarbha movement' is Agriculture Minister Ranjit Deshmukh. He is set to meet the Congress President Sonia Gandhi between September 13 and 15 in New Delhi to enlist her support for a separate state of Vidarbha.

Friday he spoke to reporters in Mantralaya. "All the major parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Republican Party of India (Athawale) and the Republican Party of India (Gavai) are in favour of a separate state. Ninety per cent of MLAs and MPs from Vidarbha, cutting across party lines, are with us. We only need an approval from our own party to form a separate state," said Deshmukh.

Thursday, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, a native of Latur in Marahwada, snubbed Deshmukh by stating that his (Deshmukh's) opinion was not the opinion of Vidarbha.

"I have been meeting people from Akola and they did not share the feelings of Mr Ranjit Deshmukh," the chief minister stated at a press conference.

Deshmukh, however, does not agree with the CM's perception. "I have not seen a single elected member from Vidarbha region who is opposing the creation of a new state. The only people who are opposing the demand and those who have no links with the region."

He said he had already spoken to Motilal Vora, the All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Maharashtra.

Asked about the views of the people of Vidarbha, he said: "When all the political parties are in favour of a separate state...it logically flows that people of the region too support the demand."

When pointed out that the Shiv Sena had opposed the creation of Vidarbha, he said: "That is nothing new...the whole world knows about their views."

Asked what his approach would be if Sonia rejected the demand, Deshmukh said it was a hypothetical question.

When a reporter asked shouldn't he resign from the Cabinet since the demand for a separate Vidarbha state had brought him in conflict with his own government, he said: "Why should I resign. In a democracy, I have full right to express my opinion."

He denied reports of that he had sought the creation of a separate state of Konkan too. "When reporters asked me whether there was a need for a separate state of Konkan, I told them that if the leaders of Konkan felt so, they should voice their demand. I was misquoted in the press."

Deshmukh reiterated that an independent Vidarbha state would be financially and politically viable and added that this was mentioned in the Fazal Ali Commission's report.

"The report also mentioned that separate states of Chattisgarh and Uttaranchal would not be viable. But, you see, these states have been created. So, I don't think there should be any problem for a separate Vidarbha state," he said.

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