Rising clamour for new states puts Congress on defensive

By IANS,

New Delhi: The central government’s acceptance in principle of demand for a separate Telangana state has set off a chain reaction, prompting political leaders to raise old demands for Vidarbha, Gorkhaland, Bodoland, Harit Pradesh, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal and states carved out of some other regions.


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Faced with the growing clamour for new states across the country, the Congress Friday accepted that lack of development of a region could be a reason for demand of smaller states, but stressed that the party was against demands for new states being made for “political adjustment of leaders”.

Reacting to developments, Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed admitted that the clamour for new states has increased the difficulties for the government. “But it (the government) will respond with a cool mind,” Ahmed told IANS.

He said that the Congress is not against smaller states but the demand should be need-based.

The Congress response came after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati raised the political pitch by demanding creation of three states from the present Uttar Pradesh.

“I have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to give us clearance for creating independent states of Budelkhand and Harit Pradesh out of a giant-sized and unmanageable Uttar Pradesh,” Mayawati told a hurriedly convened press conference in Lucknow Friday evening.

Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, a strong votary of Harit Pradesh, said in New Delhi that his party will launch an agitation if the central government does not consider demand for creation of the new state.

Activists of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in West Bengal have also reignited their demand for Gorkhaland.

A four-member Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) delegation alongwith Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh met Home Minister P. Chidambaram here Friday to press for creation of a separate state.

In Assam, the Bodo, Karbis and Dimasa tribes have once again raised the demand for statehood.

Former railway minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, who at one point strongly opposed creation of Jharkhand from Bihar, said Friday that he supported demands for creating Purvanchal and Bundelkhand.

The Congress is also facing new demands from its own ranks with former minister and party MP Vilas Muttemwar stoking the demand for a new state of Vidrabha. Muttemwar has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding creation of the new state. In Andhra Pradesh, there are demands for a three-way bifurcation if Telangana is made a new state.

“If a region has lacked behind in economic indicators and has lacked focus in development, it can be a cause for demand for statehood. But new states cannot be formed for political adjustment of leaders,” he said.

The spokesman said even in case of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, which were created as new states in 2000, results have not been to expectations. “The desired results have not come,” he said.

Justifying the decision regarding Telangana, he said it was an old demand and the government had to deal with the situation sensitively in view of the fast unto death of Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

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