Aney heads National Fedn of New States

Nagpur: Former advocate-general of Maharashtra, Shreehari Aney, on Thursday took over as president of National Federation of New States at a function organized at Press Club of India in New Delhi. Around 75 volunteers from Vidarbha attended the event.Aney quit as A-G in March after his open support to the demand of creation of Vidarbha state raised a political storm.
Sacrificing the high post, Aney plunged into the statehood movement that incidentally was started by his grandfather and Congress leader Bapuji Aney before Maharashtra was formed.The other members of the new NFNS team are Raja Bundela (of Bundelkhand) working president, Govind Basumatari and Pramod Bodo (both from Bodoland), Munish Tamang (Gorkhaland) and Nirup Reddy of Telangana.
Speaking on the occasion, Aney said NFNS as an umbrella body of regions agitating for creation of new states would prepare a road map for joint action to mount pressure at national level for creation of smaller states. He said cases of Vidarbha, which was recommended by the first states reorganization commission and that of Bundelkhand, backed by a UP government resolution, would be taken up on priority.
Meanwhile, Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) has given the Centre and the state time till Dec 31 next to create Vidarbha state.
As a protest on May 1 which was observed as black day, VRAS burnt poll manifesto of the BJP for not fulfilling the promise of creating the new state. It had agitated at 27 places in the region and climaxed that over 150 0f its activists courted arrest that day.
Meanwhile, a 1300-km Vidarbha march led by Ahmad Kadar that started from here on May 1 has reached Warora via Bhandara, Paoni, Chimur. It will proceed to Chandrapur on Friday. “It is very hot and tiring. But we are determined,” said Kadar who is accompanied by staunch supporters Claudius Peter, Pyaru Bhai, Raja Bhoj, Kailas Charde, and Aasha Patil.