Pro-Vidarbha Cong leaders’ convention on Oct 23

They said an action committee has been formed with Pramod Shende, Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, as the chairman. The proposed convention will decide the future course of action and deliberate on ways to continue their peaceful agitation, they added.

Deshmukh said former Union ministers Vasant Sathe, N K P Salve, Mukul Wasnik, AICC general secretary Prabha Rau, former MPs Saroj Khaparde, Banwarilal Purohit and former deputy chief minister N K Tirpude would also be addressing the gathering.

Congress ally RPI’s R S Gavai, Jogendra Kawade and Prakash Ambedkar have also been invited for the convention, Muttemwar said.

Darda claimed the AICC panel led by Pranab Mukherjee comprising Arjun Singh, Oskar Fernandes and Arjun Singh, which was looking into demands of smaller states like Vidarbha and Telengana, was highly impressed by the protagonists who appeared before them on October 14.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Shivajirao Moghe has said that the issue should not be decided merely on the basis of headcount of MLAs. He was addressing a press meet. Moghe is among a section of Congress leaders from Vidarbha region which did not appear before the Pranab Mukherjee Committee set up by the Congress high command to study the issue of creation of smaller states. He skipped the meeting held at Delhi on Saturday and an earlier meeting held last month.

About his absence, he said those supporting the demand and also those opposing it on the viability factor, have presented their view-points. So it is for the party high command to take a decision. “I have not studied the issue in detail. So I did not find it necessary to go to Delhi,” he added.