After initial reluctance the ruling partner in Maharashtra government, NCP has finally joined the separate Vidarbha agitation claiming it was always in favour of statehood to Vidaarbha region even as pro Harit Pradesh leader Ajit Singh has extended all support to the cause by his presence here at a rally.
Maharashtra minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Anil Deshmukh, who is senior most party leader here, yesterday announcced full support to Vidarbha statehood and agreed to join the proposed Vidarbha bandh call for Jan 20.
At an all-party rally here yesterday, Ajit Singh expressed his displeasure saying the Centre was ignoring peaceful agitation and the democratic way of protests. This has provoked violence in Telengana, he added.
Hoping that a better sense will prevail over the UPA government on creation of separate Vidarbha state, he urged the Centre to realise the sentiments of the people of Vidarbha and other regions whose people are demanding statehood.
Dalit leaders of various factions of RPI like Ramdas Athwale, Jogendra Kawade, Sulekha Kumbhare along with Congress leaders, former Union Minister and city MP Vilas Muttemwar, Datte Meghe, MP, former MPCC chief Ranjeet Deshmukh, former
MPs - Jambuwantrao Dhote, Banwarilal Purohit, Sudhakar Deshmukh, Davendra Phadanvis, Nana Shamkule, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, all BJP MLAs, ex-Minister Satish Chatrurvedi, ex- legislators - Krishnarao Pandav, Madhukar Wasnik (Both Cong), Ramesh Bang (NCP) attended the rally.
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