Mayawati Accuses Congress, Bjp Of Misleading People On Up's Division

LUCKNOW: Accusing Congress party of double speak over the issue of re-organisation of UP into four small states, UP chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati on Wednesday dismissed allegations that her decision to bring a resolution for UP's division in the upcoming winter session of the state assembly has been taken in view of 2012 assembly elections.

She also accused SP and BJP of opposing re-organisation of UP for political gains and said that the demand of formation of State Reorganisation Commission for UP's division is misleading because there is no such compulsion in the Constitution.

In an official statement, Mayawati said that the state government does not have any constitutional obligation to bring a resolution for re-organisation of state. She said Article 3 of the Constitution only Centre government can bring a legislation for re-organisation, re-naming and division of states. She said that ideally, Congress led UPA government should have initiated the process of UP's division into smaller states. She said that UPA government should have passed the legislation in the Parliament and send it to the President for approval and consent of UP assembly. She said that she has been constantly pursuing the matter with the prime minister since 2007 when she came to power in UP. But when the Centre did nothing, she had no other option but to bring a resolution for reorganisation of the state in UP assembly in order to mount pressure on the UPA government.She was forced to take the decision because of inaction of Congress and Opposition parties, hence her move should not be connected with the assembly elections due next year in March-April.

Mayawati said that on one hand Congress leader Digvijay Singh says that his party supports re-organisation of UP and he will request the Centre government to constitute State Reorganisation Commission for division of UP. But, she added, at the same time no action has been taken by Congress government at the Centre. This, she said, shows difference between Congress's speech and action.

She said that BJP is also saying that it is in favour of smaller states but want it to be done through State Reorganisation Commission. This, she added, shows that BJP, like Congress, is creating hurdles in division of UP. She said that SP has been against division of the state since day one. She also said that she has proposed division of UP into four small state for better management and development. Hence, she added, all the parties creating hurdles or Opposing her move are against development of UP.

Mayawati also described the demand of forming State Reorganisation Commission for for UP's division as misleading. She said that as per the Constitution there is no compulsion that the decision of reorganising states has to be taken through State Reorganisation Commission. She pointed out that Uttrakhand was carved out from UP without forming State Reorganisation Commission. Similarly, she said, the states of Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh were also formed without any State Reorganisation Commission. She said that it is evident from Digvijay Singh's statement that Congress wants to defer reorganisation of UP like it has done in the case of formation of a separate state of Telengana in Andhra Pradesh.

Mayawati also reminded the Rampur Tiraha incident which occurred on October 2, 1994, when several people were killed after police opened fire at Rampur intersection in Muzaffarnagar. The people were going to Delhi for peaceful demonstration demanding creation of a separate state of Uttrakhand. But, she said, the then state government under Mulayam Singh Yadav opened fire and killed innocent people.

The BSP had then supported creation of Uttrakhand, she added, hence those who describe her proposal to divide UP in four state as political stunt are misleading people and working against the interest of the state. She said that architect of India's Constitution Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was also in favour of smaller states. She said that Article 4 of the Constitution clearly states that reorganisation or division of states will not be considered as an amendment of the constitution.She said that Supreme Court in (Pradeep Chaudhary Vs Union of India) a case has ruled that Centre can reorganise state with the approval of the President. And, he said, opposition of the concerned state opposes would be of no consequence on the decision.