Though senior counsel Shreehari Aney has resigned from the post of Advocate-General of the state after aggressive reactions that were seen across the state, several leaders from Congress and BJP came
Though senior counsel Shreehari Aney has resigned from the post of Advocate-General of the state after aggressive reactions that were seen across the state, several leaders from Congress and BJP came forward to support Mr Aney and his stand of statehood for Vidarbha and Marathwada on Tuesday.
BJP MP from Latur Sunil Gaikwad, national president of BJP’s Mahila Morcha and chairperson of the state women commission Vijaya Rahatkar, former Union minister Vilas Muttemwar and former Cabinet minister Dr Nitin Raut backed Mr Aney.
Senior Congress leaders from Vidarbha on Tuesday said Mr Aney had only echoed the sentiments of the people of both regions. Mr Aney had last year created a stir after he called for a referendum on the issue of carving out a Vidarbha state. Congressmen have made their intentions clear long ago that they wanted a separate (Vidarbha) state, Mr Muttemwar, a former seven-time MP, said. “Not only Congress, BJP too had supported the cause and adopted a resolution for creating smaller states like Vidarbha at the BJP national executive held in Bhubaneswar in 1996,” Mr Muttemwar said.
He further said that Mr Aney had only echoed the sentiments of the people of both regions. “Mr Aney belongs to a family who had all along supported Vidarbha. As an individual, he too is entitled to his views on a separate Vidarbha and Marathwada,” Mr Muttemwar, who turned 67 on Tuesday, said.
Dr Raut, former Maharashtra EGS minister and three time MLA from the Dalit-dominated Nagpur (North), criticised those opposing Mr Aney’s stand. Even Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had favoured a separate Vidarbha and Marathwada, Mr Raut said.
Mr Aney’s remarks and the subsequent discussion and demand over his sacking in the Legislature should not have been an issue for the House in the wake of the large number of farmers that are committing suicides and severe drought that is looming large in state, he said. He wondered how the House could be discussing Mr Aney, Vidarbha and Marathwada in such a situation. He also disapproved of the demand for sedition charges against Mr Aney by Shiv Sena, saying that it was “uncalled for”.
Mr Aney’s grandfather Bapuji Aney too had demanded statehood for Vidarbha from the Justice Fazal Ali Commission, which had strongly recommended the creation of Vidarbha.
Mr Gaikwad who is in support of the separation, quoted Dr B.R. Ambedkar saying that the Dalit leader supported the concept of small states. Ms Rahatkar who hails from Aurangabad (in Marathwada) also came out in support of statehood for Vidarbha and Marathwada.
