City police quell attempted Vidarbha statehood stir

Nagpur: An attempted agitation in support of statehood for Vidarbha, christened ‘Rail Roko Andolan’, was quelled by city police at Manish Nagar Railway Crossing on Tuesday.
Close to 700 activists from Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) tried to rush to the railway crossing, shouting slogans of ‘Jai Vidarbha’ from a nearby garden — where they had gathered in the morning from various parts of Vidarbha. They were stopped by Nagpur police ahead of the railway crossing.
A few activists who entered the railway crossing were rounded up by the railway protection force (RPF) and government railway police (GRP), before they could stop a passing train.
Ram Neole, the chief organizer of VRAS, said that it is “high time that the Central government creates a separate state for Vidarbha”. Neole added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had already lost Maharashtra, and proponents of Vidarbha statehood could completely wipe out the party from Vidarbha too, if the demand is not heeded.
The Rail Roko agitation was carried out since railway is a Central subject, and creating a separate state for Vidarbha is also in the Prime Minster Narendra Modi-led Central government’s court.
Former MLA and VRAS senior leader Wamanrao Chatap said that the demand for Vidarbha statehood was “a 103 years old”, and that the Centre needs to take a decision in this regard. The farmers’ issue in the state is very serious and the government should take immediate steps to resolve them, he added.
Chatap also demanded 200 units of free power for the people of Vidarbha, along the lines of the Delhi government.
The RPF, Nagpur police force and GRP were alert to the situation as they knew about the planned protest in advance. Around 300 activists were detained and sent to Sonegaon police station, including Ram Neole and Wamanrao Chatap.