After nearly six months of speculation, Maharashtra’s former advocate general Srihari Aney yesterday decided to take the political plunge and work for the cause of a separate state of Vidarbha to be carved out of the state.
Aney announced the launch of a new political party, the Vidarbha Rajya Aghadi, which will get down to business right away by contesting the upcoming elections to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and other local bodies on the plank of a separate state.
“The Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party are our enemies No1. It’s because of them that the doors (of Vidarbha) will always remain shut,” he said at the launch.
However, supporters from Vidarbha can be from any party and “they will be welcome to join us,” said Aney, who quit as the state’s top law officer in March this year for openly espousing the cause of a separate state.
The renowned lawyer said he was not averse to entering into tie-ups or seat distribution with like-minded organisations or other political parties supporting a separate Vidarbha during the forthcoming civic elections.
While quitting the coveted post for which he was handpicked by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in October 2015, Aney described the reasons behind his move as “a conflict of duty and institutional stability.”
He reiterated his commitment to the cause of a separate Vidarbha state to effectively tackle the lack of developmental activities, and grappling burning issues like the farmers’ suicides in that region, among others.
Former Maharashtra advocate general Shreehari Aney addresses a press conference to announce the launch of his new political party in Nagpur yesterday.
