Nagpur: The Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) launched a high-intensity sit-in protest at Yeshwant Stadium on the opening day of winter session, echoing their long-standing demand for a separate Vidarbha state. With the slogan ‘Ab ki Baar, Vidarbha ki Sarkar!' resonating through the air, the protest aimed to highlight decades of neglect by successive state and central governments.
VRAS leaders raised seven critical issues affecting the region, including lack of probe into farmer suicides, inadequate prices for cotton and soybean crops, and incomplete Gosikhurd irrigation project. Concerns over high unemployment among technically qualified youth, abandoned villages, and inconsistent compensation for snakebite victims also featured prominently in their demands.
VRAS chief Wamanrao Chatap said, "The fight for statehood has been ongoing for 119 years. For the past 12 years, we have staged protest marches on the first day of every winter session." Chatap noted the government's refusal to extend the assembly session to three weeks further demonstrated its indifference to Vidarbha's challenges.
In response to queries about the absence of a formal memorandum, Chatap explained, "We have not submitted one because our demand for statehood falls under the purview of the central government. We have already communicated our demands to them via email."