RANCHI (PTI): The 15-day “Economic Blockade” called by the All Jharkhand Students Union and the Jharkhand People’s Party was phased out in south Bihar areas on the ninth day by Sept.24, with both the organizations deciding in their joint meeting Thursday morning to call off the agitation on Sept.24.
The two organizations had called the blockade to press their demand for a separate Jharkhand state to be carved out of the present Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh states in eastern and central India, ‘The Jharkhand leaders, JPP chief Binod Kumar Bhagat and AJSU president Deo Sharan Bhagat, told PTI after their four-hour meeting that they had served an ultimatum to the Central Indian Government to declare a separate Jharkhand state by November 15 next.
The blockade was the second part of the agitation, which began with a “Jharkhand Bandh” on September 15.
A major reason for cutting short the blockade was the ensuing festival of Durga Puja, which would culminate on October 6, the leaders said.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 9, 1992
