Bihar assembly recommends creation of Jharkhand state

The Bihar assembly adopted a unanimous resolution on Tuesday, recommending to the Centre that a separate Jharkhand state be created.

Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav said West Bengal, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh should adopt similar resolutions for an early implementation of the proposal. This is necessary as four out of the 22 districts comprising the proposed Jharkhand state are in these states.

Laloo Yadav thus withdrew his earlier statement that Jharkhand statehood could only be obtained over his dead body.

Earlier, as the House assembled for the post-lunch session, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Jha read out a one-line resolution favouring the creation of a separate Jharkhand state.

The House unanimously adopted the resolution in the absence of Opposition parties except the Congress.

With this resolution, the five-decade old Jharkhand movement got a shot in the arm.

Welcoming the adoption of the resolution, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Soren) president and Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council chairman Shibu Soren described it as a "historic achievement". He said the day of the passage of the resolution would be observed as a budda din (big day) in the entire Jharkhand region.

He said with this they had won the first battle and they would prepare for the second if the Centre did not quickly give its sanction to the resolution. If the Centre did not move fast, the Jharkhandis would sop movement of all resources out from the region, he warned.

UNI