Lok Manch convener Amar Singh — who has emerged a strong votary of new and small States after his expulsion from the Samajwadi Party — warned the Centre and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to stop playing politics on the issue.
Describing the creation of small States as “management by postponement,” Mr. Singh called upon supporters of the demand for new States to oppose this tendency.
“Letters won't suffice”
Taking note of Ms. Mayawati's backing for the trifurcation of U.P. into Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Western U.P., and of the subsequent letters written by her to the Prime Minister, Mr. Singh said that merely sending letters would not suffice.
“The Bahujan Samaj Party has a clear majority in the Vidhan Sabha. Ms. Mayawati should send a resolution passed by the House to the Centre; she cannot blame Rahul Gandhi for the crisis in Bundelkhand,” Mr. Singh told journalists on the sidelines of the national conference on ‘Re-organisation of States in India' here on Monday.
The conference was organised by the National Federation for New States (NFNS).
Notwithstanding Ms. Mayawati's claim, Mr. Singh expressed doubts over her commitment to the cause of smaller States. He was equally critical of the Centre's decision to appoint a committee on the formation of the Telangana State.
“They should stop playing billiards and instead play football and score a goal,” he said, adding that there should be a definite time frame for the creation of new States.
Pointing to inequality as one of the causes for the demand for smaller States, Mr. Singh referred to the disparity between Purvanchal and other places in Uttar Pradesh.
‘No electricity'
Taking pot shots at Ms. Mayawati and SP president Mulayam Singh, he said electricity was produced in Anpara and Sonebhadra but was supplied to Badalpur (Ms. Mayawati's native village) and Saifai (Mr. Mulayam Singh's village). “The Muslim weaver of Purvanchal is left without power,” he said.
Mr. Amar Singh said he would undertake a padyatra from Allahabad to Gorakhpur from December 1 to create awareness on Purvanchal.
Apart from Mr. Amar Singh, the national conference was attended by P. Niroop Reddy, convener of the Telangana Vikas Kendra, Manish Tawang of the Gorkhaland Vikas Manch, and Raja Shetty of Vidharbha.
Ajit Singh, president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, who is a strong supporter of Harit Pradesh (Western U.P.), was slated to attend the conference but stayed away.
Raja Bundela, NFNS convener and president of the Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha, said the purpose of the conference was to create awareness on the creation of the six new States of Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Harit Pradesh, Telangana, Gorkhaland and Vidharbha.
Mr. Bundela said Lucknow was chosen as the venue because Ms. Mayawati supported the cause of new and small States.
