VJAS welcomes Proposal of Public Referendum on the Vidarbha State

VJAS welcomes Proposal of Public Referendum on the Vidarbha State

Nagpur- 16^th December 2009,

Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti today welcome the proposal of MNS chief Raj Thackeray that the question of bifurcating the state as per last wish of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar who said that to make all round development of the region Maharashtra should be bifurcated into three separate states should be open for public referendum of vidarbha people.

"With Telangana setting the ball rolling, demand for Vidharbha state too has got the momentum. Now as political parties and some intellectuals are opposing the formation of Vidarbha State ,the public referendum on this issue will certainly throw light on the facts regarding injustice done to the region in last 50 years ,Maharashtra leadership has treated this region like colony and now slaves should be allowed to take their decision where they want the freedom or not” Kishor Tiwari of VJAS said today.

Here are some common public comments and sentiments as reported in national daily today that “Vidarbha region have always been discriminated against by the other parts of the state. Government is least bothered to take care of this area. In fact, it has never looked beyond Mumbai, Pune, Baramati, Thane and Nashik.

Million of tribal families are malnourish and dying due to starvation and million of distressed farmers are daily committing suicides is result of Vidarbha's backwardness and this has happened due to complete apathy of western Maharashtra leadership as region was deprived of big ticket investments and irrigation facilities.

There is no jobs for youngsters who have to migrate to cities like Pune and Mumbai in search of job opportunities. It is time the people of this region realized the raw deal meted out to them and raised their voice against the injustice. Statehood was the only solution to develop the region. He said the region was rich in natural resources, national parks, diverse culture and people with a passion for life. It is this wealth that prevented Vidarbha from gaining statehood because leaders of Maharashtra wanted control over people of vidarbha .

Vidarbha could be a strong state if given opportunity to lead and manage its own human and natural resources. The region was a real gold mine, the only way to gain statehood was for the people to unite and assert themselves and not depend upon any national or state party's promises.

VJAS to in letter to Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh urged him to arrange the public referendum on the Vidarbha Statehood, Tiwari informed.