Honour Nagpur Pact, Maharasthra Govt. urged

By Arunkumar Bhatt

NAGPUR, DEC 5. Legislators from the Vidarbha region, mostly Congress members, today recalled the historic Nagpur Pact and demanded that the legislative session now in progress not be adjourned sine die this week as expected.

The Pact that had paved the way for the annexure of the Vidarbha region with Maharashtra to form a large Marathi- speaking State on bifurcation of the erstwhile Bombay state. It had also mentioned that the State legislature meets in Nagpur at least for a minimum period of six weeks.

However, successive State Governments seldom respected the pact and conducted the session for just two weeks. This time too, both ruling and opposition members appeared to be in a hurry and concluded the session, much to the chagrin of their colleagues from Vidarbha. Secondly, their demand for debate on formation of the Vidarbha region did not find place in the agenda of the Assembly proceedings. ``This is too much,'' said the Congress member, Mr. Satish Chaturvedi, who had initiated the debate and is now in the forefront in submitting a memorandum - demanding the session be held for a minimum period of three weeks, so that people from Vidarbha arrive here and meet air their grievances to the Ministers - through to the Speaker, Mr. Arun Gujarathi and Legislative Affairs Minister, Mr. Rohidas Patil.

Mr. Chaturvedi said members belonging to western Maharashtra, including Mr. Abhay Sinh Raje Bhosale and Ms. Shalinitai Patil had signed the memorandum. It was presented well-before the meeting of the business advisory committee of the House.

The committee was expected to decide on the conclusion of the session on Friday by scheduling, ``last week's resolution''. But the memorandum restrained them from doing so. The speaker informed Mr. Chaturvedi that the memorandum would be considered by the committee in its meeting on Friday.

An angry Mr. Chaturvedi told Mr. Gujarathi in the House that it seemed that it was being conducted by the Opposition leader, Mr. Narayan Rane who had always opposed the debate on Vidarbha.

Sources said that the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, had advised the State Congress leaders that the party should have members from Vidarbha, so that it could improve its position in the region.

Ms. Gandhi informed a State delegation that the party would consider the issue after getting a report from the senior leader, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, who is assessing the ground situation and also the impact of the statehood to the region.Meanwhile, the Congress member from Chandrapur in Vidarbha, Mr. Naresh Pugalia, has gone on indefinite strike to press for the separation of Vidarbha, among other demands.

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