'People don't want Vidarbha to be treated as colony of Maharashtra'

NAGPUR: He was known as Lion of Vidarbha. As a strapping youth leader, bearded and flowing hair, he would travel in an open jeep. On his one call lakhs would rally behind him on the streets in support of the separate Vidarbha state demand. That was in 70s.

Today, after switching parties of all hues, including the Shiv Sena which is totally opposed to creation of Vidarbha state, Jambuwantrao Dhote says: " I may be old. But not tired. I have not given up. I am ready for the fight again. And this time it will be fight to the finish. I am confident the statehood dream will be realized in my lifetime and at least the coming generations would reap benefits."

Excerpts of an interview:

You were once undisputed leader of the statehood movement and masses willingly joined it on your call. Today, lack of public support is cited as the reason for not granting Vidarbha statehood. Your comment?

It is true the movement once had visible support of masses. But even today 99% of people of this region are in favour of separate state carved out of Maharashtra. The mindset remains same, attitude may have changed. But it will be wrong to say that the statehood movement has no public support. For years masses have backed it. On one call they have thronged streets to protest the step-motherly treatment meted to the region. They no longer want Vidarbha to be treated as a colony of Maharashtra.

Violence, arson, destruction in the name of a public cause cannot fit into a democracy. Sadly, this is not understood by most of the Congress leaders except Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. If the government wants to count the bodies or huge damage to public property as evidence of public support, this is nothing but provocation. What matters more is that right from Nehru, the states re-organisation commission and other committee have acknowledged the need for granting statehood to Vidarbha.

At the peak of the movement in 70s, you left Forward Bloc to join Indira Gandhi-led Congress. Did that change the course as far as Vidarbha is concerned?

At the time her own party men shunned her in post-emergency days, I supported her because of her leadership qualities and commitment to the country. It would not be fair to say she 'used' me to dilute the Vidarbha movement. She always supported me and wanted more time to keep her promise of carving out the state. But when she finally did not do it, I left the Congress in protest before her tragic death. But it is true that she was worried that if Vidarbha was granted at that time, some other regions would make similar demand for statehood.

It is said people here have not sacrificed enough for the cause. Will the people come back in support?

The united Maharashtra agitation saw 105 people getting killed. We from Vidarbha do not disrespect their martyrdom. But people of Vidarbha have sacrificed much more. Thousands of farmers have committed suicide because they were forced to live in depravation in Maharashtra. The Naxalite violence in Vidarbha is a spin-off of the region's neglect by leaders sitting in Mumbai. We have paid enormously for being part of Maharashtra. Now time has come for respecting the developmental aspirations of the people ignored for over five decades.

So how do you plan to go about it from here on?

Call it a quirk of fate; I am back with Forward Bloc. On August 9 (Martyr's Day) I am organizing a party convention at Yavatmal. We will chalk out our strategy for reviving the statehood movement. Now, we will target the young generation in schools and colleges. We will tell them the new state demand is for their future.