5-day march for Vidarbha’s statehood ends in Sevagram

WARDHA: The Nagpur-sevagram padyatra seeking statehood to Vidarbha was warmly received by a large number of youth when it ended in Sevagram to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti on Wednesday.

The march led by Ashish, son of former MPCC chief Ranjit Deshmukh, began from Nagpur on September 28 which marked the golden jubilee of Nagpur Pact.

The padyatra reached Sevagram around 11.30 am after covering more than 150 km.

Deshmukh and the former Lok Sabha member Jambuwantrao Dhote, along with their supporters, then entered the Bapu Kuti and participated in a symbolic ‘satyagraha’ over the issue.

Addressing the gathering, Deshmukh and Dhote said they would launch a massive agitation if the state government failed to give statehood to this backward region.

“Suicide by thousands of farmers from Vidarbha has brought not only disrepute to Maharashtra but also shown the imbalance of growth and skewed farm economics of region compared with other regions of the state,” Deshmukh said.

Wardha is one of the suicideprone districts in the region.

The problem of naxalism is linked to backwardness of the region. But the state government viewed it as a law and order problem. There is an urgent need for tackling the issue. If Vidarbha is carved out of Maharashtra, the problem can be effectively handled, he said.

The Vidarbha joint action committee will organise a youth rally on October 10 in Amravati on the statehood issue. Another rally will be staged in Nagpur during the winter session of the state legislature, he said.