Nagpur: A battle cry that has refused to die roared through Nagpur again on Sunday as nearly 1,000 separate Vidarbha supporters joined a long march turning a rain-soaked Kranti Din into a show of regional anger and resolve.Drenched but determined, protesters marched from Deekshabhoomi to Samvidhan Chowk with fists raised and ‘Jai Vidarbha’ slogans ringing through the streets, serving a blunt political message to Delhi and Mumbai: “Create a separate Vidarbha before December 2027, or face a much larger mass uprising across the region.”The ‘Vidarbha Nirman Jansankalp Long March’, organised by Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) under its ‘Mission 2027’ campaign, began from Deekshabhoomi at 1pm and culminated in a public meeting at Samvidhan Chowk at around 2:30pm. Intermittent showers drenched participants along the way, but the march continued amid slogans of “Vidarbha is our right, not anyone’s property” and “Our state, Vidarbha state”.Protesters raised slogans, accusing political establishments of allowing the separate state demand to remain unresolved for decades. VRAS office-bearers said participants had travelled from across Vidarbha’s 11 districts and 120 talukas for the demonstration.“This is no longer merely a demand that can be kept pending indefinitely. Mission 2027 has a clear objective — Vidarbha must become a separate state before December 2027,” VRAS youth wing president Mukesh Masurkar said, reiterating the organisation’s resolve.By the time the march reached Samvidhan Chowk, the gathering had swelled for the public meeting. Speakers demanded immediate and concrete steps from Centre and state govt towards the creation of Vidarbha.The agitation also witnessed a brief flashpoint when a small group attempted a rasta roko, disrupting traffic. “Around five protesters were detained by police following the incident,” senior PI of Sitabuldi police station Suhas Raut said.The march was led by VRAS president and former MLA Wamanrao Chatap along with women’s wing president Manjusha Tirpude, East Vidarbha president Arun Kedar, West Vidarbha president PR Rajput and other functionaries. Chatap and other leaders warned that Sunday’s mobilisation was not the culmination of Mission 2027 but the beginning of a more aggressive phase. If the statehood demand continues to be ignored, they said, the agitation would spread across Vidarbha and evolve into a “decisive mass movement”.For VRAS, the Kranti Din mobilisation was intended to put a deadline on a struggle that has repeatedly returned to Vidarbha’s political discourse without delivering statehood.
