Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Mayawati's decision to bring a resolution in the coming
assembly session for creation of four new states appears to
have caught her political opponents by surprise ahead of the
polls.
Samajwadi Party, BJP, Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal,
which favours Harit Pradesh, fear that BSP might gain
political mileage out of the division.
The main opposition Samajwadi Party which has always been
clearly against any division of Uttar Pradesh on the ground
that it would undermine the political authority of the largest
state, fears that now it would have to take a stand in the
assembly that could go against the wishes of people of areas
falling under Purvanchal, Pachimanchal and Bundelkhand.
"It is a political conspiracy and Samajwadi Party would
oppose it both in the legislature as well as outside," Leader
of Opposition in UP Assembly Shivpal Singh Yadav said.
The Samajwadi Party would not accept this proposal and
would see to it that there was no further division of the
state, he said.
"The timing, at the fag end of her tenure, of bringing the
proposal proves her lack of sincerity and people would have to
see that BSP has never had a clear view on smaller states but
for writing letters to the prime minister and today's move is
nothing but a political drama," SP spokesman Rajendra
Chaudhary said.
The SP leaders, however, realise that the likes of its
former general secretary Amar Singh who had recently taken out
yatras for separate Purvanchal would grab the chance to
capitalise on the situation.
The president of All India Kshetriya Mahasabha,
Harvansh Singh, who had also been joined by Amar Singh in the
earlier stages and took out 'Purvanchal vikas yatra' recently,
has already warned the SP against opposing the move in the
Assembly or else "it would be eradicated from Purvanchal".
The RLD, which has been raising the demand for a
Pachimanchal state since long with its leader Ajit Singh
brinGing all small organisations demanding separate states
under one umbrella, also sees in it a political design.
RLD spokesman Anil Dubey said that they are aware that
Mayawati's intentions are "not noble" but still his party
would support the proposal in Vidhan Sabha.
"This is mere political manoeuvring on her part but
we had been demanding it since long and so would back it,"
Dubey said.
The BJP, which had been a supporter of smaller states,
faces a piquant situation as it appears to be divided
whether to support the proposal or not.
Former BJP president Rajnath Singh and national Vice
President Kalraj Misra, during their jan swabhiman yatras, had
been attacking Mayawati's "stunts and dramas" on the issue of
smaller states but they find themselves in a spot now as they
can also not cleary oppose the move.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 20:51