To buy peace in Vidarbha,CM wants Centre to open its coffers

On record,Congress and NCP have argued that they will be guided by the public response for a separate Vidarbha,thus exercising caution not to dismiss it completely as all 62 MLAs across the parties from region are apparently in favour of a separate state.

Both Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar believe that the situation in Vidarbha is not as volatile as in Telangana at yet.

In a candid admission,an AICC functionary from Maharashtra said,“If Vidarbha is separated,NCP will make gains in Maharashtra. Congress has retained its number one status in Maharashtra since maximum MLAs are elected from Vidarbha.”

The mainstream BJP has always advocated the theory of smaller states.

State BJP president Devendra Fadnavis said,“Unfortunately,every decision of Congress and NCP is guided by politics. Nobody is considering economics and development to both Vidarbha and Maharashtra.”

He added,“The creation of Vidarbha will not only help in its development,but also work to Maharashtra’s advantage.”

The Planning Commission of India,which considers Maharashtra in the higher-income category,cannot make allocations of more than 7-8% from its central pool,although the state contributes 40 per cent of the Centre’s total revenue,the highest among states.

But if backward Vidarbha is separated,it automatically comes under middle-income or low-income category,making it eligible for higher allocations of up to Rs 30,000 to 35,000 crore.”

Fadnavis said,“The allocation of funds are guided by the Mukherjee-Gadgil formula. It states that all the states in higher income category cannot avail more than 10 per cent of the central funds; middle-income states should have 27 per cent and low-income 57 per cent.”

“The states in the Hindi heartland,which fall in middle and low-income category,stand to benefit more compared to Maharashtra,” he said.

A separate Vidarbha state will help Maharashtra utilise funds set aside for tackling backlog for development projects for state.

There is simmering discontent amongst the MLAs/MPs from Vidarbha who believe the region despite being mineral rich and power surplus has been accorded secondary status by dominant politicians from western Maharashtra. Vidarbha which generates 4,50 MW requires just 1200 to 1500 MW power. But yet it has been subjected to load shedding for several decades.