Congress non-committal on spate of demands

New Delhi, 31 July : As the Congress top brass and UPA’s decision in favour of Telangana statehood sparked fresh demands for creation of other smaller states from across the country, the Congress today remained non-committal over such demands and on the question of setting up of a Second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC).
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) made it clear that the party does not have any stand over demands for other smaller states or a Second SRC and that the Congress leadership’s current decision was limited to Telangana state only.  
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) and the ruling Congress-led UPA had yesterday separately and "unanimously" decided to carve Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.
This decision has now ignited fresh demands for smaller states such as Gorkhaland in West Bengal, Bodoland in Assam, Bundelkhand and Purvanchal and two other states in Uttar Pradesh, and Vidarbha in Maharashtra among others. While the Darjeeling hills belt in Bengal is already witnessing a fresh spell of agitation and bandh over the Gorkhaland demand, there were reports today about violent protests in Assam in connection with the demand for a separate Karbi Anglong state. In the national capital, a delegation of Bodo leaders met the Union home minister Mr Sushilkumar Shinde to press for Bodoland. 
Earlier today, the BSP chief and ex-UP chief minister, Miss Mayawati, while welcoming the proposed creation of Telangana state, renewed her pitch for splitting India’s most populous state into Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Awadh Pradesh and Pashchimanchal. She also supported the demands for Gorkhaland and
Vidarbha.     sns

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