Council also goes the assembly way

Angry scenes were witnessed on Friday in the state legislative council when Opposition members demanded that the state government should clarify their stand over the issue of separate statehood for Vidarbha.

The matter was raised by Opposition leader in the council, Dhananjay Munde of NCP who said that BJP MP from Bhandara area, Nana Patole had moved a bill in the Lok Sabha on Friday demanding a separate statehood. “We have been hearing about this demand for separate statehood for Vidarbha and also other areas and now this MP has tabled a bill in the Parliament. We demand that the state government should make a statement on this very crucial subject,” he said. Commenting on the subject, senior Congress legislator Narayan Rane said that if the BJP MP has raised this issue it has to be with the knowledge of senior leaders of their party and even of the Chief Minister. “This is the reason that there is something that does not quite meet and eye and the administration will have to make a statement on this,” he felt. The legislator wondered that even when the issue has been raised in the council, none of the BJP leaders have said they are not in favour of this. Responding to this issue, Girish Bapat, the Parliamentary Affairs minister, said that if the leaders of all the parties get together, the state government is willing to discuss this matter with them.

However, this answer was not acceptable to the Opposition leaders and they started raising slogans in favour of a united Maharashtra.