125-ft-long flag rally taken out to push for Vidarbha statehood

Nagpur: Reiterating its long-standing demand for a separate state, the Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) organised a ‘Vidarbha Nirman Jan Sankalp Flag Rally' in the city on Monday as part of its public awareness campaign.The rally served as a precursor to a proposed long march and mass rally scheduled for Feb 22. VRAS youth front Vidarbha president Mukesh Masurkar said the campaign aims to mobilise public support for the creation of an independent Vidarbha state.
The rally commenced from Vidarbha Chandika Mandir at Shaheed Chowk, Itwari, where participants offered prayers to Vidarbha Chandika Mata before setting out. A 125-ft-long Vidarbha flag was carried through key commercial areas of Nagpur. Slogans demanding separate Vidarbha state were raised during the rally.The procession passed through market areas, including Itwari, Gandhibagh, Bharat Mata Chowk and Maskasath, before culminating back at Shaheed Chowk. Organisers stated that the rally received a significant response from residents and traders along the route.VRAS leaders stated that the Feb 22 long march would intensify their campaign for statehood and urged citizens across the region to participate. The organisation consistently raised the issue of separate statehood, citing regional development concerns and administrative efficiency as key reasons for its demand. Additionally, a bike rally at 2pm will be held on Feb 18 from Samvidhan Square.Several office bearers and supporters of the movement were present during the event including Masurkar, east Vidarbha president Arunbhau Kedar, Nagpur district president Prashant Nakhate, Nagpur city president Naresh Nimje, and Nagpur women president Jyoti Khandekar. District VP Gulabrao Dhande and Nagpur district transport front president Amul Sakure were also present. Participants included Ganesh Sharma, Santosh Khode, Piyush Rewatkar, Naushad Hussain, Vijaya Tajne, Madhuri Chauhan, Vijay Raut and others.