Nagpur: The usually bustling Variety Square turned into a cauldron of clanging plates, piercing slogans and angry voices on Tuesday as staunch Vidarbha statehood supporters of Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) staged a ‘Bombabomb Andolan’, accusing the state of betraying Vidarbha and renewing their demand for a separate state.Dozens of protesters gathered at the square around noon, beating steel plates and raising slogans against the state, the chief minister and Vidarbha’s 62 MLAs. The demonstrators alleged that the recently concluded monsoon session once again passed without any meaningful decision on the region’s long-pending issues.Cries demanding statehood for Vidarbha echoed through the area as activists accused successive govts of treating the region merely as a source of revenue and resources while denying it a fair share of development.Leading the agitation, VRAS Yuva Aghadi state president Mukesh Masurkar said people across Vidarbha expected the monsoon session to bring concrete measures to address farmer suicides, migration of unemployed youth, stalled industrial projects and 131 pending irrigation schemes.“Instead of offering solutions, govt once again deceived people of Vidarbha. Funds, development opportunities rightfully belonging to the region have repeatedly been diverted, while its pressing concerns continue to be ignored,” Masurkar alleged.The protesters also trained their guns on elected representatives from the region, claiming the entire Vidarbha MLA cadre failed to forcefully raise its concerns in the legislature. VRAS netas also added that the silence of the region’s lawmakers further deepened public anger and strengthened the demand for statehood.The organisation also cited Maharashtra’s financial position to argue that Vidarbha could no longer expect justice within the existing administrative arrangement. VRAS claimed the state was burdened with debt of over 12.40 lakh crore and faced mounting revenue and fiscal deficits.According to VRAS, the state’s growing debt burden, coupled with what it termed political dominance of western Maharashtra, left Vidarbha trapped in a cycle of neglect. “Separate statehood is no longer merely an emotional demand. It is the only way to protect Vidarbha’s resources, ensure region-specific planning and end decades of economic exploitation,” Masurkar added.VRAS functionaries Arun Kedar, Sunil Chokhare, Naresh Nimje, Prashant Nakhate, Jyoti Khandekar, Rahul Bansod, Ganesh Sharma and Adv Avinash Kale were among those present at the agitation.
