Bhubaneswar, Dec. 29: The chorus for separate statehood in the wake of the Centre’s decision to carve out Telengana from Andhra Pradesh is getting louder with every passing day.

After Kosala Kranti Dal, a political party here, raised the demand for a Kosala state, Kalinga Sena, a regional outfit, has started pitching for a Greater Kalinga by reuniting all Oriya-dominated districts of Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Talking to reporters today, Kalinga Sena president Hemant Rath said a massive rally would be held here on December 31 to press for the demand. Subsequently, more rallies will be held at the district headquarters of the proposed Greater Kalinga State and finally, a demonstration will be staged in New Delhi.

According to Kalinga Sena, Srikakulam, Vijaynagaram and Vishakhapatnam districts in Andhra, Dantewada, Bastar, Mahasamund and Raigarh districts in Chhattisgarh, Simdega, Sareikela, West and East Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand and East and West Midnapore districts of Bengal — which were earlier parts of Orissa — should be merged to form Greater Kalinga. Rath claimed that majority of the population in these districts were Oriyas.

The Sena president also urged chief minister Naveen Patnaik to put forward the demand before the Centre as well as State Reorganisation Commission and adopt a unanimous resolution in the state Assembly to this effect.

Rath also demanded a special session of the Assembly to discuss the issue.

Kosala Kranti Dal is spearheading agitations in favour of its demand for a separate statehood comprising 11 districts of western Orissa.

The party wants the districts of Bargarh, Bolangir, Boudh, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Koraput, Nuapada, Sambalpur, Subarnapur and Sundergarh to be merged. Dal had recently held a rally here too.

Earlier, hundreds of students in Sambalpur, Bargarh and Bolangir towns had hit the streets. They boycotted classes and took out rallies, demanding a separate Kosala state.