BJP allies differ over demand for separate Vidarbha state

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said today that differences with Shiv Sena over creation of separate Vidarbha state would not lead to friction in their alliance.

"BJP and Shiv Sena have divergent views on a separate Vidarbha state. We have always believed that having smaller states helps speedy development, whereas the Sena has a different view," senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde said.

However, differing with the Sena would not mean that there would be friction between the two alliance partners, Munde told reporters here today.

At its meeting in 1992, the BJP national executive had passed a resolution in support of separate Vidarbha state, the BJP leader recalled.

With the Centre's decision on Telangana likely to have a bearing on similar demands for statehood from other regions, the Shiv Sena said it would not allow Maharashtra to break up.

"It has always been our stand that we will not allow break up of Maharashtra," Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray told reporters recently, speaking about the prospect of the formation of a separate Vidarbha, at a time when a decision on Telangana appeared to be on the cards.

His remarks are significant, as it is believed that the demand for separate states, like Vidarbha, could gain momentum if the Centre decides to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.