Mayawati favours division of UP into smaller states

Lucknow, Oct 9 (UNI) Chief Minister Mayawati today favoured division of Uttar Pradesh into smaller states, if the Centre agreed.

Claiming that her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was a supporter of smaller states for better administration, she said her government was ready to carve out Bundelkhand, Poorvanchal and Harit Pradesh out of UP and get it approved by the state legislature. ''If the Centre is willing, my government is ready to work out the modalities,'' she added.

The BSP president was addressing 'savdhan raho, aage badho' (stay alert, surge alert) rally here at the newly created Mata Rama Bai Ambedkar rally grounds.

Interesting, the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government was against the re-organisation of the state. The then Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had said smaller states were difficult to run and gave the example of insurgency-hit Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Samajwadi Party's former ally Rashtriya Lok Dal, led by Ajit Singh is a supporter of Harit Pradesh to be carved out of parts of west UP, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

A few years ago, the hill state of Uttarakhand was carved out of UP.

UNI