If for one campaign for separate statehood for Bundelkhand people are ending up with blistered and callused feet, then for the other one they are ready to 'spill blood' non-violently. People from all walks of life and cutting across the party lines are joining them.
Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha (BMM) 'Statehood Awareness Foot March' has already covered 43 km since it began from a temple in Chitrakoot and now has neared Banda. Whereas, Bundelkhand Ekikrit Party (BEP) has announced a blood signature campaign wherein people would sign separate statehood for the region by putting their signatures in blood.
While BMM had pledged that it would not let this foot-march campaign disrupt life or do any vandalism, the BEP already vandalized a railways station and had blocked railway tracks on Tuesday.
What is most interesting that the campaigns are getting support from people from all walks of life-be it farmers, traders, lawyers or politicians who are joining the campaign cutting across the party lines.
"By signing in blood we want to draw attention of the state and the central governments towards the seriousness of the demand. The demand which is logical and fair, went unnoticed for past so many decades," said Surendra Tiwari, a general secretary of BEP, in Banda. The blood signature campaign would begin in a day or two in Banda and then would be replicated in six others UP districts of Bundelkhand- Hamirpur, Chitrakoot, Jalaun, Jhansi, Mahoba and Lalitpur.
BMM's foot-march has covered 43 of the 300 km route through several Bundelkhand district in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and is led by Bollywood star and BMM president, Raaja Bundela. He is walking the entire distance meeting farmers, villagers, labourers, students, lawyers, teachers, corporators/councilors et all. Many of them are ending up walking along on the route falling in their respective villages or towns.
The campaign is carrying banners like 'Jan jan ki chetna jagao, Bundelkhand rajya banaao' (make people aware for carve Bundelkhand state), or 'Bengali ka Bengal, Bihari ka Bihar, Punjabi ka Punjab…toh Bundelkhandi ka Bundelkhand kyon nahin' (If Bengalis have Bengal or Biharis have Bihar then why can't Bundelkhandi have Bundelkhand).
BJP general secretary of Banda Dinesh Gupta said: "I am delighted to participate in this march. There is nothing wrong in supporting a cause even if it is not run by us. The fact is the BMM campaign is demanding what we want, so we have become part of it. You can see many BJP, Congress or BSP people here."
Just then Ramesh Sharma spilt out of the crowd and said: "I am from the Congress and also represent traders. I am district general secretary in Congress as well as Vypar Mandal. BMM is putting forth the statehood demand in forceful and effective way."
As the sun set, all the people in the procession walked towards the house of BSP MLA from Naraini, Purshotam Naresh Dwivedi who organised night halt for the procession.
Raaja Bundela said BMM had emphasized on unified Bundelkhand, which is making a separate statehood of Bundelkhand out of region's district in both the states (Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh).
The walk began at Gaurhari temple in Chitrakoot (a UP Bundelkhand district) on December 16 and would end in temple in Khajuraho (in MP) on the New Year. The route is 300 km long.
Popular slogan is 'Long Live Bundelkhand'.