Nagpur, Dec 12: Virtually setting a deadline to the Congress leadership in Maharashtra to decide on the Vidhrabha issue, veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Vasant Sathe will sit on hunger strike beginning today. Sathe, who was to launch his hunger strike from December 8, the first day of the Winter Session of State Legislature, had postponed it following assurances from Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ranjeet Deshmukh to take up the issue with the high command in Delhi.
Another staunch Vidarbha protagonist, also former Union Minister N K P Salve will be arriving from New Delhi today to join Sathe.
Talking to reporters, Sathe said he had initially given up the idea till yesterday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Shinde chaired a meeting of Congress legislators from Vidarbha, attended by Deshmukh, Ministers of state, Manikrao Thakre, Wasudha Deshmukh, Anees Ahmad and others, without taking a decision.
Bureau Report