VJAC slams MPs for not raising Vidarbha statehood issue

Vidarbha Joint Action Committee (VJAC) today criticised the MPs from the region for not raising the issue of formation of separate Vidarbha state when the Telangana bill was taken up by the Parliament in the recently concluded session.
VJAC convener Wamanrao Chatap, addressing a press conference, also welcomed the passage of Telangana bill, but claimed that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had promised to take up the demand of Vidarbha state alongwith the Telangana.
He also claimed that the late Shiv Sena supremo, Balasaheb Thackeray, had promised to carve out the state of Vidarbha during a rally at Ramtek in 1996, if the Sena-BJP government failed to bring development to the region.

"(Sena president) Uddhav Thackeray has failed to keep his own family united, and now he is going on about keeping the state united," Chatap said.
VJAC would continue with its 'referendums' on Vidarbha after receiving a good response in Amravati, Nagpur, Chandrapur and Yavatmal, he said.