VRAS intensifies protest, demand Vidarbha statehood by 2027

Nagpur: The Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) on Sunday intensified its long-pending demand for a separate Vidarbha state, asserting that statehood would be achieved before 2027. Addressing a large gathering at Chitnis Park, VRAS leaders said the 121-year-old movement would be brought to a decisive stage ahead of "Mission 2027."Representatives from nearly 120 talukas across the Vidarbha region participated in the rally and took a collective oath to take the statehood demand to every household in villages and cities. The programme was held under the chairmanship of former MLA Wamanrao Chattap and inaugurated by Padma Shri awardee and former Rajya Sabha MP Dr Vikas Mahatme.
Chatap alleged that persistent issues such as farmer suicides, malnutrition-related maternal deaths, unemployment-driven migration, rising Naxalism and pollution continue to plague the region. Citing Maharashtra's rising debt burden and financial liabilities, they argued that Vidarbha's problems cannot be resolved within the existing framework.During the event, a book titled "Experience of Living in Maharashtra and the Inevitability of Vidarbha State" by Dr Srinivas Khandewale was released. Social NGO Janmanch's president Rajeev Jagtap was also a part of the protest.