Statehood for Kutch is Congress candidate’s poll plank

When Valjibhai Danicha addressed his first press conference after being declared a Congress candidate for Kutch Lok Sabha seat, he vowed to fight an election on ‘statehood for Kutch’ issue. Next day, news reports in local dailies, placed his this poll plank in headline. Valjibhai has started raising this issue in election campaign actively.

Though the demand for separate State of Kutch is not new, it has become an election issue for the first time, and that too from a candidate representing a major national party.

Reacting to Valjibhai’s poll plank, Kutch BJP MP Pushpadan Gadhvi in a talk with DeshGujarat said, “Valjibhai is raising this issue on his own. He should make it clear that is he really backed by his central leadership on this issue? Valjibhai is just showing lollipop to the people of Kutch. If the Congress genuanly wants separate statehood for Kutch, it should announce it in national manifesto. The Congress party backed the idea of separate Telangana state before the Lok Sabha elections in 2004, but even after five years, The commitment has not been fulfilled. Who would believe in statehood rhetorics of a candidate without any visible support from his party on the issue? And what is the value of his or let assume his party’s commitment after the great Telangana fiasco?”

The BJP candidate for Kutch Lok Sabha seat, Punamben Jat has also questioned Valjibhai’s separate Kutch poll plank. In a first conversation with the media at her residence soon after her candidature was announced by the party, Punamben said, “Morbi which is located out side the Kutch has now become a part of Kutch Lok Sabha constituency. How can a candidate raise statehood issue when people of Morbi are going to vote for Kutch in this election?”

When DeshGujarat contacted Gujarat Congress spokesperson Arjun Modhwadia to know his opinion on this issue, Arjunbhai said that he would first check whether Valjibhai said something like this really or not.

Valjibhai himself was unavailable for comment.

Political observers in Kutch believe that ‘statehood for Kutch’ is an old issue, but not relevent for winning extra votes in the election. Talking to DeshGujarat, Kutch Mitra daily’s editor Kirti Khatri said, “During British period and even after that for some years, Kutch was a separate state but then it was the Congress government only that merged the state of Kutch with Gujarat.”

“Kutch has distinct dialect, it is the second largest district in India, it is larger than Tripura and some other states. Such points are valid in favor of the demand for separate state, however ‘Statehood for Kutch’ has been an emotional issue for Kutchi people, but not popular issue so far or as of now. In this election, lack of irrigation water is major local issue connected with the state government. On the other hand, lack of proper railway connectivity and Kandla port’s slow pace of development are the issues connected with the central government,” Kirtibhai said.