By clearing the way for the formation of Telangana, the UPA Government on Tuesday opened the floodgates for separate statehood demands from other parts of the country.

In Maharashtra, senior Congress leader, Vilas Muttemwar, called for the creation of a Vidarbha State. He is said to have written to party president Sonia Gandhi, saying this demand was “older and stronger” than that for Telangana.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha General Secretary, Roshan Giri and Bodoland People’s Front, Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary, said they had no option but to intensify their movements to be carved out of West Bengal and Assam, respectively.

“After Telangana, the Union Government will have to give us Gorkhaland,” Giri told a news agency over phone. A strike is already on in the hills of North Bengal to press for Gorkhaland.

Lok Sabha member Bwiswmuthiary said a public rally had been called in Kokrajhar, Assam, on August 5 to renew the demand for a separate Bodoland.

“Demand for Bodoland is several decades old. If the Centre can give Telangana, why not Bodoland. We will soon meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde,” he told the news agency.

Reports said the Home Ministry already had many representations with it seeking separate statehood, such as Bundelkhand, to be carved out of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh with districts such as Banda, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Lalit and Sagar.

Then there is a demand for creation of Bhojpur, to include districts from three States – eastern UP, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.

In Gujarat, there is a demand that the well-off Saurashtra region be hived off. Other such demands include the creation of Harit Pradesh consisting of some districts in western UP, Mithilanchal consisting of districts in Bihar, parts of Cooch Behar in West Bengal and some areas of Assam, as well as a separate state for the Coorg region in Karnataka.

aditi.n@thehindu.co.in

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