Separate Vidarbha to remain BJP’S Achilles heel
MODI WAVE IS INTACT IN VIDARBHA: BJP
MUMBAI: Worried about the negative response from voters after being attacked by all political parties, the BJP skipped a promise of granting statehood for Vidarbha in its Assembly poll manifesto released last week. The party, however, is not expected to escape the issue so easily. Whatever the outcome of the elections in Vidarbha’s 11 districts where the BJP has used the statehood issue as a poll plank, the party will remain under pressure to support the cause it has advocated for the past 20 years.
Having shed the baggage that came with its alliance with the Shiv Sena, which did not support statehood, the BJP’S senior leadership — Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and state unit chief Devendra Fadnavis — had made their intentions clear. Providarbha activists saw their target at a striking distance when the BJP assumed power at the Centre, and later broke its alliance with the Sena.
Currently, the BJP has 19 of the 62 seats in Vidarbha and hopes to win more than 40 now.
But the BJP’S pitch changed after PM Narendra Modi, under fire from all quarters, announced at his election rallies that he was not in favour of splitting the state. The party’s manifesto was also revised. State leaders, however, clarified that granting statehood was not a state-level issue. The party has already resolved to create smaller states, they said, adding that Modi’s clarification was about allegations that the BJP had planned to separate Mumbai from the Marathi-speaking state.
The BJP’S change of position has agitated pro-vidarbha organisations. Their divided stand, however, may still help the BJP, which has been able to convince them that it amended the policy as a temporary measure to tame the Sena and other parties. “We have now appealed to people to not vote for the parties that have opposed statehood for us. We must all vote for the BJP to give it maximum seats,” said Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti.
A BJP leader said in case the party wins more MLAS in both Vidarbha and the rest of Maharashtra, it will be in a position to have two states under its command. “Soon, the party will rule Vidarbha, whenever it comes into existence and also govern the rest of the state, possibly with support from the allies,” he said.
Some activists saw a ray of hope in an unexpected statement made by NCP chief Sharad Pawar that referendums be held to know the public opinion in Vidarbha.
Pro-vidarbha activist advocate Shrihari Aney said, “I wonder whether political parties have the guts to hold referendums across Vidarbha. They are happy to go around saying that there is no grassroot demand for statehood,” he said.
Other than NCP and Sena, the Congress is also not in favour of a separate state, though most of its local leaders, including some senior ministers, want otherwise. Congress leader Vilas Muttemwar accused the BJP of misleading the people for electoral gains.