Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari has appealed to all political parties to lend support to the issue of carving out a separate Vidarbha state out of Maharashtra.
"If all parties come together, no one can stop Vidarbha from becoming a separate state," Gadkari said while speaking at an all-party meeting organised by Vidarbha Economic Development (VED) Council last night.
The BJP would support the motion for Vidarbha statehood, if it was tabled in Parliament, he said.
Maharashtra BJP unit president Devendra Fadnavis said he would even resign (from his post as a MlA) for supporting the cause of Vidarbha statehood.
"But, the right time for resignation is yet to come," Fadnavis said.
Instead of waiting for backlog to be removed, a separate state of Vidarbha would boost development of the region, he opined.
Senior Congress leader and Maharashtra minister Nitin Raut said all political leaders of Vidarbha should create a pressure group for demanding statehood for the region.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister and senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh alleged that some leaders took up the issue of separate Vidarbha only when they lost ministerial posts.
He appealed to all leaders and elected representatives from the region to come together for the cause.
leaders of various parties including BJP, Congress and others were present during the programme.
unIJo IJ ` tack on Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, saying she has a habit of passing the buck on all issues.
"The Delhi Chief Minister has the easiest job. All she does is cut ribbons at inaugurations. She has no responsibilities. If there are pot holes on the roads, she blames municipal corporations. If there is a law and order problem, she blames the Centre. She passes the buck up or down," Modi said.
Targeting Dikshit, Modi said India could not utilise the Commonwealth Games to project the country as a strong nation.
"The corruption relating to the Games cannot be seen in terms of finacial irregularities. The Commonwealth Games scam has robbed India of its sportsman spirit. Such games are a vehicle to show to the world brand India. But we could not do it because of mismanagement.
"Sports is a medium to showcase the country on a global platform. As for example, South Korea showcased itself in the Olympic Games and it aided in the country's development and attracted global attention. Our country has been robbed of such opportunities for the next 20 years," he said.
He also slammed the Delhi government for the shortage of electricity.