Mithilanchal is a geographical and cultural region bounded by the Mahananda river in the east, the Ganga in the south, the Gandaki river in the west and by the foothills of the Himalayas in the north. Mithilanchal comprises large parts of Bihar and Jharkhand and adjoining districts of the eastern Terai of Nepal. The native language in Mithila is Maithili, and its speakers are referred to as MaithilsAccording to the Ramayana, Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, broke Shiva’s celestial bow to marry Mithila’s king Janaka’s daughter Sita — who is believed to have been born in the Sitamarhi district while her father ruled from Janakpur in Nepal.

DEMAND FOR MITHILANCHAL

Local people, rulers, organisations and leaders have asked for a separate Mithilanchal state for decades. They have said that without Mithila's social, cultural, economic, political and linguistic independence, the entire region's development is impossible. During British rule, Bihar was part of the Bengal presidency before being carved out a separate administrative unit that included Jharkhand until November 2000. While Bihar was bifurcated to create Jharkhand, the demand for Mithilanchal remained, well, a demand. Here’s a look at the decades-long but unsuccessful journey for Mithilanchal’s demand.In 1881, the word Mithila was added to the dictionary of the British India government.

In 1902, British official Sir George Grierson conducted a language-based survey and prepared a map of Mithila state.

The demand for Mithilanchal was first made by local people in 1912, based on Sir George Grierson’s survey, when Bihar was leaving the Bengal presidency to become a separate state. The British rejected the demand.

In 1921, Maharaja Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga Raj raised the demand.

In 1936, Orissa (now Odisha) became a separate state but the demand for Mithilanchal remained ignored.

In 1947, India became independent and, in the coming years, many new states came into being but not Mithilanchal, leading to movements in the 1950s.

Dr Laxman Jha launched a movement, while Janaki Nandan Singh met Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for a separate Mithila state.

In 1986, Janata MP Vijay Kumar Mishra revived the demand through a three-day rail roko agitation.

In 1996, Mithila Rajya Sangharsh Samiti initiated a mass-contact campaign and Mithilanchal Vikas Congress demanded an Autonomous Development Council for the region.

In 2000, Jharkhand was separated from Bihar, but the demand for a separate Mithila state again remained ignored.

In the early 2000s, Maithili was added to the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution that lists India’s official languages. So far, the count is 22.

In 2004, BJP leader Pt Tarakant Jha briefly launched a movement for Mithilanchal.

In 2008, the JD(U), ruling Bihar since 2005, said it favoured a Mithila state as the only solution to develop the backward region.

In 2015, cricketer-turned-BJP MP Kirti Jha Azad demanded in Parliament a separate Mithila state.

In 2018, RJD leader and former chief minister Rabri Devi favoured a Mithila state.

In 2019, Bihar BJP leaders raised the demand for a separate Mithila state.

In August 2022, the Mithila Students’ Union protested at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for a separate state.

BUT WHY A SEPARATE STATE?

Local people, rulers, organisations and leaders have said for years that the successive central and state governments have neglected the Mithila region, almost leaving it to fend for itself in the perennial double whammy of floods and droughtThere was a time when Mithila’s Tirhut belt accounted for India’s 40 per cent of sugar production. The share has reduced to 4 per cent now. The region had more than 30 sugar mills. Today, there are hardly any functional mills,” said Satish Jha while protesting at Jantar Mantar.

 

“We used to export our sugar to other countries. Today we’re forced to work at sugar mills in other states. We had many other industries that are now shut. We live the lives of animals in Delhi and Mumbai,” said another protester.

 

HOW WILL A NEW STATE HELP?

Multiple new states have come into being in India after its independence from the British. In many cases, there has not been a dramatic shift in their socio-economic conditions. How will a separate Mithilanchal state help the local people? Does Mithilanchal have enough resources to sustain itself as a state?

 

“What resources did Telangana have when it became a separate state from Andhra Pradesh in 2014? Like Uttarakhand, which came out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, we also have tourism potential. Like Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh [the third separated from Madhya Pradesh in 2000], our situation can also get better. We have fertile soil, we have water, we can make electricity,” said another protester..ester..The protester’s claim appears to be higher on the scale of aspiration than ground reality. Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, the states named by the protesters, are rich in natural mineral resources. Uttarakhand has traditionally been a tourist destination since the British times and before. The Mithilanchal region is rich in culture but lacks an industry-driving natural pull.

 

Mithilanchal is one of the several Bihar regions, including Magadh (comprising Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Jehanabad and Arwal districts) and Patna (including Patna, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Rohtas, Kaimur and Buxar districts). Those protesting feel policies customised for other regions are thrust upon Mithilanchal, which deepens its backwardness.

 

“Mithila’s problems are different from Magadh or Patna. But when policies are framed, they are framed keeping Magadh and Patna in mind. Nobody is bothered about the crisis of perennial floods in Mithila. But if there is a water crisis in Nalanda, from where Nitish Kumar comes, everybody is concerned,” said another protester at Jantar Mantar.

 

“When Bihar was created, it was thrust upon the people of Mithilanchal. Mithilanchal was a country. We are only asking for a state. Some parts went to Nepal, others were given to Jharkhand. Governments have been formed in this country on the slogan of Jai Shree Ram. We are the ones who say - Jai Sia Ram.”