Uproar in Legislative Council over Vidarbha statehood issue

Mumbai, Apr 9: The Maharashtra Legislative Council today witnessed an uproar over the Vidarbha separate statehood issue after the Shiv Sena said that all those in favour of the division of the state should leave the House.

While the Kelkar Committee report was being discussed, Maharashtra Transport Minister Diwakar Raote raised a point of order and said that the House belongs to entire Maharashtra. He said that those who bat for dividing Maharashtra and chant 'Jai Vidarbha' slogans must immediately leave the House.

Reacting to Raote's comments, Manikrao Thakre, Rajendra Mulak, Jogendra Kavade and Prakash Gajbhiye hit out at him and said that BJP, which is an ally of Shiv Sena, is the one which bats for separate statehood for Vidarbha. The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde, said that a separate Vidarbha was one of the key poll promises of BJP during its election campaign.

"It is BJP which wants to divide Maharashtra by giving separate statehood to the Vidarbha region. This was its motto before elections and it is the same now as well. Diwakar Raote should actually be cursing (Sena's) own ally," Munde said.

PTI