Mumbai: Shiv Sena on Sunday disapproved of the view expressed by senior BJP leader and Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on carving out separate Vidarbha state from Maharashtra.
"There is no mass support for separate Vidarbha. In fact, Shiv Sena is of the view that Modi government will ensure justice for the Marathi-speaking population in Belgaum and border villages on Karnataka-Maharashtra border," Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said.
Earlier, Gadkari told reporters in his hometown Nagpur that creation of separate Vidarbha state would require two-third majority in the Parliament and a consensus with other political parties in Delhi.
Raut, whose party is against the creation of Vidarbha, said that Shiv Sena was confident that the "first martyr for akhand (united) Maharashtra will be from Vidarbha...Sena`s stand on united Maharashtra is well known".
