SP opposes Cong demand for separate Bundelkhand

New Delhi, Jan 12 (UNI) The Samajwadi Party today expressed its strong opposition to the Congress demand for carving out a separate state of Bundelkhand from the country's largest state.

''We don't think that a separate state of Bundelkhand would be good for the region,'' veteran Samajwadi Party leader Janeswar Mishra said here when asked about his reaction to the Congress move.

Yesterday a Uttar Pradesh Congress delegation led by its new UPCC Chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi had met the Prime Minister with the demand, making a strong pitch for setting up the Second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) to study the demand.

Mr Mishra said,''Our experience and observation has shown that creation of smaller states was always not a solution of the problem of the region concernned, as it sometimes leads to different kinds of other problem.'' The better thing to do would be to place special emphasis on the development of the region, he added.

''Our stance has been consistent on such issues, and there was no change in it,'' he added.

It may be pointed out that the Samajwadi Party had also been opposing the demand for creation of 'Harit Pradesh' out of western Uttra Pradesh districts, which was the main poll plank of Rashtriya Lok Dal led by former Prime Minister Ch Charan Singh's son Ajit Singh.

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