PATNA: Leader of opposition in the state legislative council and former CM Rabri Devi on Monday favoured creation of a separate Mithila state for Maithili speaking people.

Intervening into a discussion on BJP member Suman Kumar’s non-government resolution to demand legal sanctity for use of Maithili language in official works of the Bihar government, Rabri told the council’s officiating chairperson Haroon Rashid that he should create a separate state for Maithili speaking people.

When Rashid reminded Rabri that it was not his, but the state government’s job to take a decision on policy matters, the former CM promptly told the chairperson that she was suggesting the state government, through the chair, to create a separate state for Maithili speaking people.

Rabri, however, did not clarify whether she would favour a separate state for Maithili speaking people within Bihar.

Earlier MLC Suman Kumar, through his non-government resolution, drew attention of the state government towards inclusion of Maithili language in the eighth schedule of the constitution and demanded granting of legal sanctity for use of the language in all official works on the state government.

Maithili speaking people of some districts in north Bihar have since long been demanding a separate Mithila state within Bihar.

In July 2015, the cricketer-turned-BJP MP Kirti Jha Azad too had raised the old demand of a separate state for Maithili speaking people. Whenever the elections are around the corner, politicians from Mithila region start raising the demand of Mitihila state.

