Patna, Dec 14 (Inditop.com) The demand for a separate state of Mithila, to be carved out of Bihar, has gained momentum following the government’s nod to Telangana. Activists now plan to demonstrate outside the parliament house in New Delhi to highlight their cause.
A group seeking a separate Mithila state for Maithili language speakers will protest in front of parliament Dec 17. Another group will stage a daylong sit in (dharna) in New Delhi Dec 22 to put pressure on the central government.
“We will hold a demonstration in front of parliament,” said Baidnath Choudhary Baiju, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Mithila Rajya Sangharsh Samiti.
Dhanakar Thakur, who has been spearheading the campaign for a separate Mithila state for 17 years, will lead the sit-in Dec 22.
“If Telangana can be a separate state, why not Mithila,” Thakur asked.
Last week, Baidnath Choudhary had asked all the MPs and legislators from the region to come together to press for the creation of Mithila.
“We have urged people’s representatives, including MPs and MLAs (legislators), social and cultural organisations and other bodies in Mithila to join hands to launch a campaign for the creation of Mithilanchal,” he said.
The proposed state would consist of at least 10 districts spread over north Bihar where Maithili is spoken.
“The population of the Mithila region is 40 million and it elects 22 MPs and 126 legislators to the Bihar assembly. It is unfortunate that despite having such a huge area and population, a separate state is yet to be created,” said Tarakant Jha, another campaign leader.
“History suggests that Mithila was a separate state in ancient times. It was evident from the fact that Janak, the father-in-law of Lord Rama, was the king of Mithila (according to Hindu epic Ramayana),” he added.
Since 2000, when Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar, the Maithili and Bhojpuri speaking people of the state have been demanding separate states for their communities.
