Nagpur: The National Federation for New States (NFNS) would be staging a massive rally in Delhi on Monday to press for its old demand for carving out new states, including Vidarbha. Over 5,000 people from all over the country are expected to participate in the rally that would start from Rajghat and end at Parliament House.
About 500 activists of Vidarbha Rajya Aghadi (VIRAA) would join their counterparts in the rally which would be followed by Dharna in front of Parliament, according to lawyer Neeraj Khandewale, who is also senior VIRAA member. The activists will also sign separate Vidarbha letters using their blood.
He is leading a team of about 400 activists, including two more lawyers — Shailendra Harode and Surendra Pardhi, who would be reaching the capital on Sunday. VIRAA founder Shreehari Aney and other prominent lenders are expected to reach Delhi by Sunday afternoon.
While boarding evening train at Nagpur Railway Station on Saturday, the activists displayed banners and shouted Jai Vidarbha slogans, demanding statehood for the region. “Apart from Vidarbha, we would be demanding statehood to Bodoland, Gorkhaland, and Bundelkhand among others. We call them as new states instead of smaller states,” Khandewale told TOI.
The VIRAA under President Ravi Sanyal had written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh seeking their time to discuss the
Vidarbha statehood issue, but they were yet to get any response. “A message is also dropped to union minister and city MP Nitin Gadkari, but he too failed to give any response till date,” he said.
