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JMM wants four Orissa districts to be merged with Jharkhand

Bibhuti Mishra in Bhubaneshwar

While the Orissa government is fighting for two districts to be merged with the state, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha wants four districts of Orissa to merge with the proposed Jharkhand state!

When the proposal for the merger of the former princely states of Sareikala and Kharasuan was passed in the state assembly in July, all JMM MLAs supported the resolution. But the party was divided on the issue as its demand has always been for a greater Jharkhand state.

After protracted infighting, JMM state unit president Sudam Marandi publicly dissociated from the merger demand. He said the demand had no basis after five decades as the people of that area were no longer interested in the merger.

"The Orissa government has failed to provide proper relief and rehabilitation to the people affected by the super cyclone. How can they attend to the people of Sareikala and Kharasuan?" he asked and went on to demand that four districts - Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Sambalpur be merged with Jharkhand so that there can be all round development of these districts.

"We will launch an agitation for that," he declared.

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