Two and a half decades of development gave Chhattisgarh a distinct identity
The 26th state of the country, Chhattisgarh is entering the silver jubilee year of its establishment. Most of the people who will behold today’s Chhattisgarh with happiness and satisfaction will be those who have seen more than four springs in their lives. For that generation, the development of this Chhattisgarh will make them feel proud. At this stage of the foundation day, we all must look into the past so that today’s generation can also know and believe that leaving behind the darkness and gloom of history, today our Chhattisgarh stands like a lighthouse in the country. Today, the growth rate of Chhattisgarh is 6.9 percent which is close to the national average. Per capita income is one lakh 47 thousand rupees which is more than the present Madhya Pradesh. Per capita electricity consumption is much more than the national average of 1327 units, i.e. 2211 units. These are some examples which show the state’s position in the basic parameters of development.
The state has progressed in every field in the last two and a half decades and has achieved success in all dimensions of development, but this success also needs to be seen with relativity. From which stage we have reached where we are today, this matters a lot. Just two and a half decades ago, this one-third part of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, had to keep waiting for basic facilities and important development schemes. Whether it was development of infrastructure or the benefits of government schemes, it was very difficult to reach Bhopalpattanam from Bhopal. It was more the attitude of neglect towards this region than the physical distance that kept any development work away from us.
Be it the matter of electricity supply or expansion of roads, medical care or education, in all basic matters, it was pushed far behind other developed areas of Madhya Pradesh. During the period of Madhya Pradesh, out of 28 central companies and 40 training institutes, only one each was established in Chhattisgarh, that is, out of 68, only two institutes were part of Chhattisgarh. Similarly, Chhattisgarh had to face second class treatment in matters ranging from budget allocation to expenditure. Chhattisgarh, which contributed 68 percent of Madhya Pradesh’s revenue, spent only 12 percent of it.
When the State Reorganization Commission was formed in 1953, even then the demand for a separate Chhattisgarh was raised very strongly. Political and non-political organizations like Chhattisgarh Mahasabha, Bhatri Sangh, Sangharsh Morcha, Chhattisgarh Party, Gondwana Party Vikas Manch, Chhattisgarh Fauj, Chhattisgarh Manch continued to struggle for a separate state through non-violent movements from time to time.
The government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took the big decision to form two other states along with Chhattisgarh. In the year 2000, when former Deputy Prime Minister and then Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani presented a bill in Parliament regarding the formation of these three states, the most consensus was about the formation of Chhattisgarh state. The land of Chhattisgarh remained a part of Madhya Pradesh for 44 years, whereas before 1 November 1956, it was included in Madhya Bharat and Berar province.
The formation of Chhattisgarh state was a decades-old demand. When the bill was made, it was passed almost unanimously in a few hours of discussion in the Parliament. This shows a consensus in recognising Chhattisgarh as a state. The process of formation of the state started on 18 March 1994 when the private member resolution of BJP MLA Gopal Parmar was passed unanimously by the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The then central government did not give importance to it. Later, Atal ji showed his determination by passing it from the cabinet in 1998 as per the promise made in his party’s manifesto, but the resolution could not be passed due to the fall of the government. After being re-elected, the resolution was brought again.
On 31 July 2000, the Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was presented in the Lok Sabha. On 2 August, in a discussion of three and a quarter hours on the bill in the Lok Sabha, the bill was passed without any amendment. 15 members took part in the discussion and all the parties including BJP, Congress, BSP, except Rashtriya Janata Dal, CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party, supported the formation of the state. On the other hand, 23 members participated in the discussion that went on for about four hours in Rajya Sabha on 9 August. On 25 August, President Dr. K.R. Narayanan signed and enacted this bill.
The special thing was that the day when the Lok Sabha passed the proposal for the formation of an agricultural state was the day of Hareli Amavasya. This is a day of special celebration in the agricultural tradition of Chhattisgarh. On the other hand, the Rajya Sabha passed the proposal for the formation of the tribal-dominated state of Chhattisgarh on 9 August on the occasion of World Tribal Day. It is a very pleasant coincidence that the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, which was a tribal-dominated state, was formed 24 years ago, Vishnudev Sai represents the tribal society and it is also a unique coincidence that Vishnudev Sai was a member of the Lok Sabha in which the proposal for the formation of a separate Chhattisgarh state was passed.
