Decision on Vidarbha after Cong decides its stand — CM

The Chief Minister mounted a verbal attack on the state BJP seeking an explanation from the latter for its failure to force the Centre to create Vidarbha state alongwith three new states. The state BJP had assured of Vidarbha state in its election manifesto. “Instead of fanning the dissidence in our party, you should compel your leadership in New Delhi to grant statehood to Vidarbha,”he said. Nowhere in the Constitution, there is a provision which requires the state assembly to pass a resolution for creation of a new state, he pointed out and added that the Centre had powers to carve out any new state. “You had promised of Vidarbha state in your manifesto. They why are you evading your responsibility now,”Deshmukh asked.

Taking a dig at Munde, he said the latter should first convince his alliance partner to speak in favour of Vidarbha.

Expectedly, the Chief Minister did not offer much sops to the backward region but assured of filling the backlog of Vidarbha in five years.

“As a Government, it is our commitment to fill the backlog in five years. If necessary, we will divert funds allocated for other schemes to fulfill our commitment,”he said.

About 25 per cent of the state’s budget was being used for development of Vidarbha whereas the popoluation of the region was 22 per cent, he pointed out.

He said the Government will use about Rs 425 crore for irrigation purpose before March 31, 2001. The amount was raised by way of bonds for construction of dams.

A Rs 900-crore national highway was being constructed between Mumbai, Aurangabad and Nagpur to facilitate growth of the region, he added.

The cabinet sub-committee appointed for filling backlog, will consider of raising the yearly allocation for the region from the present 12 per cent, he assured.

The ruling party was more worried about the stand the pro-Vidarbha MLAs in Congress would take today. The MLAs had announced of protesting against Speaker Arun Gujrathis’ refusal to allow their colleagues to speak more than five minutes on Vidarbha. However, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, with the help of his trusted aides, managed to silence the roaring pro-Vidarbha guns in his party on the day of his reply to the debate on Vidarbha.

Anticipating trouble from his own party, the Chief Minister camp undertook an urgent damage control exercise late on Thursday evening. The task of contacting the dissident MLAs and pacifying them by using every possible tactic was entrusted on close aides of Deshmukh. They were minister of state for home Kripashankar Singh, his long-time friend and chairman of Development Board for Rest of Maharashtra Ulhas Pawar, minister of state for home Manikrao Thakre and minister of state for higher and technical education Anees Ahmed.

The outcome of the operation was visibile in the House today. Instead of shouting slogans and disrupting the proceedings as they did in the first week, the pro-Vidarbha MLAs preferred to remain silent.

Two of them, Kirti Gandhi and Nitin Raut, thanked the Chief Minister inside the House and announced that they would not participate in the debate to protest against the Speaker’s ruling. But that was all.

Although, Chief Minister did not offer any sops to Vidarbha in his reply, the MLAs preferred not to make any comments.

“It is upto the party high command now. We have decided to wait till the Mukherji Committee submitts its report,”said Gandhi to this paper.