Party politics hindering growth of backward regions: Mayawati

New Delhi, Oct 22: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who has often accused the Centre of ignoring the interests of the state, today (Oct 22) stressed on the need to "rise above party politics" to ensure speedier development of the backward regions.

In her speech read out by state Finance Minister Lalji Verma at the 56th National Development Council meet here, Mayawati said as the objectives of inclusive growth could not be fully met during the 11th Five Year Plan, there was a need to initiate concrete measures during the 12th Plan to ensure speedier development of backward regions and to bring the "downtrodden" into the mainstream of growth.

"To achieve such balanced and higher level of development, it will be necessary to rise above party politics and so distribute the resources as to uplift the lagging regions and neglected sections of our society," she said. She lamented that the Approach Paper of the Planning Commission on 12th Plan "does not seem to reflect" all the suggestions made by the states at regional consultation meetings.

PTI