Congress leaders begin lobbying for Vidarbha state

NEW DELHI: After the decision on Telangana, lobbying has begun for formation of a seperate state of Gondvan-Vidarbha comprising Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and four adjoining districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Four Congress MPs from Vidarbha Mukul Wasnik, Vilas Muttemwar, Datta Meghe and Marotrao Kovase and former MP and trade unionist Naresh Puglia have met several central leaders to espouse the cause of the Gondvana-Vidarbha, party sources said.

The districts of Madhya Pradesh sought to be brought into the new state included Balaghat, Seoni, Betul and Chhindwara. The leaders from Vidarbha have met senior Congress leaders A K Antony, Digvijay Singh, Ambika Soni, Motilal Vora and Ghulam Nabi Azad to press the case for the separate state.

A meeting of Congress leaders from Vidarbha region, including DCC Presidents, MLAs and ministers, is also being planned for October two either at Sewagram in Vardha or in Akola to highlight backwardness of the region.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, PCC Chief Manikrao Thakre and AICC General Secretary Mohan Prakash are also being invited to the meeting, the sources said. Maharashtra Minister Nitin Raut and former Minister Satish Chaturvedi are also meeting AICC leaders for the cause of the separate state.

Leaders from Vidarbha have time and again spoken of "injustice" to the region from leaders of Western Maharashtra who dominated politics in the state. They allege Vidarbha was given step-motherly treatment despite Nagpur and Akola pact and provision in the Constitution for better development of the backward region.