NEW DELHI, Aug 11 - The agitations for creation of smaller states are likely to come back to the Centre and the state governments, with several organisations threatening to revive their agitation if the authorities do not make up their mind by August 30.
Office-bearers of at least eight organisations who attended a national seminar, �Perspective and Realisation on the Issue of Smaller States in India�, organised under the aegis of the National Federation for New State, threatened that if the Centre does not decide on creation of smaller states by August 30, they would launch agitations.
The organisations that took part in the daylong seminar held at the Mavalankar Hall, included the All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU), Kuki State Demand Committee, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisang, Indigenous People�s Front of Tripura, Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS), Peoples Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement, Joint Action Committee of Dimaraji Movement and Vidharba Connect.
The organisations are going to stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar here tomorrow to press for creation of smaller states.
The seminar was addressed by former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, Rajya Sabha MPs Chandan Mitra and Biswajeet Daimary, besides former Lok Sabha MP SK Bwiswmutiary, Tapir Gaon, UG Brahma and TRS MP AP Jitendra Reddy, among others.
Talking to newsmen on the sidelines of the seminar, ABSU president Pramod Boro said the NDA government had completed one year in office, and yet it was silent on their demand for creation of smaller states.
The NDA had also envisioned that with the creation of smaller states in the country, faster growth and development on all fronts could be achieved and therefore considering the gravity and anticipating the sincerity of the NDA government�s pre-election promises and its subsequent fulfilment of its commitment, particularly the promises of creation of smaller states, all the stakeholders feel that it is an appropriate time to remind the NDA government to take a policy decision.
The national seminar organised today is a message to the Government of India that their problem should be resolved soon. The states should be consulted and there should not be any delay. �We expect the Government of India to take a policy decision on the demand for smaller states,� Boro said.
