Mayawati vows to work for separate state comprising districts of western UP

Meerut (UP): BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday promised to work for a separate state comprising districts of western Uttar Pradesh and fulfil the “longstanding demand” of setting up a bench of the Allahabad High Court in Meerut, if voted to power at the Centre.

Addressing an election rally in support of her party nominee from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat, the BSP chief attacked the Congress and BJP and also targeted the Samajwadi Party (SP) on the issue of reservation, alleging the SP does not want the people belonging to SC/ST communities to get quota benefits. She also said that her party, if voted to power, will work to fulfil the demands and address problems of the region. “We will take positive steps with regards to your longstanding demand of a Allahabad High Court bench here in Meerut like that in Lucknow,” she said.

“The central government has not been paying attention to it but when we come to power at the Centre, we will take positive steps in this regard,” Mayawati said. Referring to how her government in Uttar Pradesh had passed a resolution for a separate state, which was sent to the Centre, she said, “Since the beginning, our party has been of the view that the western region should be made a separate state for better development of the region.

“We had got a resolution passed by the state Assembly and sent to the central government but they did not act on it,” she said. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged that the quota facility meant for the Dalits, adivasis (STs) and OBCs in government jobs has not been filled up in the country for years.