Pro-Vidarbha leaders root for statehood

No sooner did the UPA 2 decide to carve out a Telangana from Andhra Pradesh than the outpour for granting statehood to Vidarbha began.

On July 30, the Central government gave in to the demand for Telangana which dates back at least to the 1960s.  But many in Maharashtra say that the recommendation for Vidarbha is much older. An online petition for Vidarbha, at change.org, traces it back to 1888 when the then British Commissioner had called for Vidarbha remaining a separate state.

According to vidarbha.webs.com, Vidarbha is the eastern part of Maharashtra and comprises Amravati and Nagpur divisions. It has 11 districts. It occupies 31.6% of the state's total area and 21.3% of its population. The website also says that Vidarbha accounts for two-thirds of the state's mineral resources and three-quarters of its forest resources. According to infrastructure statistics of Maharashtra state (Directorate of Economics and Statistics), "Vidarbha has 48.7 percent of the installed thermal power generation capacity of the state. However, the total power consumption for the region was about 13 percent."

Yet, it is also a place known for extreme poverty and severe drought. Some also call it Maharashtra's suicide capital: Vidarbha accounted for 70% of farmer suicides in Maharashtra, according to vidarbha.webs.com.

Some say the only solution to ensure that Vidarbha gets its due in terms of resource allocation is statehood to the region.

Here's a list of mainstream politicians who have openly come out in support of a separate Vidarbha:

1. Devendra Fadnavis

The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief, Fadnavis is famously attributed with the quote, "Chalte Maharashtra State, representing Nagpur, since, 1999." Fadnavis had also called the state budget for 2011-12 “blatantly anti-Vidarbha.” Fadnavis is from Nagpur.
 
2. Nitin Gadkari and Sudhir Mungantiwar

These former state BJP chiefs are also from Nagpur, the erstwhile capital of Central and Berar province from which Vidarbha was merged with Maharashtra. Mungantiwar is known to have asked the government to allow electricity for cheaper rates in Vidarbha if it really wanted the region to develop. He is also known for having mocked the state government's "Advantage Vidarbha" initiative. "Advantage Vidarbha" is "aimed at providing investors a brief overview of the investment potential within the region," according to a 2013 theme paper titled Advantage Vidarbha: An Emerging Business Destination released by KPMG.

Mungantiwar had called this “mungerilal ke sapne,” effectively saying it would not work.

His party colleague, Nitin Gadkari for his part,is said to have appealed to all Congress leaders from Vidarbha to approach Sonia Gandhi, their party chief, on the matter. He has said that if the Congress and the BJP were to unite, Vidarbha would be possible.

Fadnavis, Mungantiwar and Gadkari have also consistently said that their party believes in having smaller states.

3. Vilas Muttemwar

Although the Congress's official line on this matter remains unclear, their leader from Nagpur is in favour of Vidarbha. He is attributed with two letters. One of these is addressed to the Prime Minister in 2009 and one to Sonia Gandhi right after statehood for Telangana was declared. In both letters, he is said to have outlined the legitimacy of the Vidarbha demand. Muttemwar is the current Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagpur and has been an MP for seven terms.

4. Vijay Darda

Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda is also from Nagpur. Editor-in-chief of Lokmat media private limited, he had written an edit piece in Marathi daily Lokmat on August 5, 2013. To those who say that the agitation for Vidarbha is not as strong as that for Telanagana, he had this to say: “ Please do not wait for more pitiful things than farmer suicides (to realise how serious the demand is). Self-immolation, violence, destruction of public property and resignations by public representatives are not the only ways to make yourselves heard." This was a reference to the Telangana agitation.

Darda is also reported to have written another letter, which said, "...(Vidarbha) would not be liberated from the debilitating grip of backwardness unless they have the freedom to chart their own course."

5. Prakash Ambedkar and Ramdas Athawale

Prakash Ambedkar, chief of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, has quoted his grandfather Babasaheb Ambedkar to make a case for Vidarbha. Ambedkar was in favour of Vidarbha, he is believed to have said. He has cited discrimination in terms of investement for backing his demand.

Athawale, chief of the Republican Party of India, has also proclaimed support for bifurfaction of Maharashtra. After Telangana, he is quoted as saying, "If the Union government is declaring a separate Telangana, it should also go for a separate Vidarbha as the region's development would get a fillip after its separation from Maharashtra."

In response to an apprehension Bal Thackeray had reportedly expressed—that a non-Maharashtrian could become Chief Minister(CM) of a separate Vidarbha—Athawale is believed to have said that the decision rests with the people of Vidarbha; even a dalit could become CM of Vidarbha. The dalit population in Vidarbha is reported to be 21% as compared to 16% in Maharashtra.

Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel of the Nationalist Congress Party have also said that they would not oppose Vidarbha if that is what people want.