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

Meerut: 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. When our party comes to power at the Centre, your western UP will be made a separate state," 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 and the quota in promotions for the SCs/STs has also been made ineffective.

"I want to remind the members of the SCs/STs that when the SP was in power in Uttar Pradesh, it had ended reservation in promotions. Will the members of these sections give even a single vote to them and waste it on a party which is bent upon finishing their reservation. The SP does not want SC/ST people to get full benefits of reservation," she said.

She also alleged that when an amendment bill for reservation in promotions was presented in the Rajya Sabha, the SP MPs had torn it. "Will such Samajwadi Party do good for the Dalits and shoshits (exploited class). Not only this, the districts, parks, universities that we (BSP government) had made in the name of great men belonging to these sections of society were mostly changed by the subsequent Samajwadi Party government." She also alleged that like the Congress, the BJP's casteist and pro-capitalist thinking and policies have not helped in ensuring the real development and uplift of the poor, Dalits, adivasis, backwards, Muslims and other religious minorities among the "sarv samaj".

Telling her voters that in these Lok Sabha elections, the Congress, BJP and their supporting parties have to be stopped from coming to power, she alleged their wrong policies and working style has been tried by all.

She also warned against the "saam, daam, dand, bhed" policies allegedly being adopted by these parties to attain power.

Seeking vote for her party nominee from Meerut, Mayawati said unlike the past elections when her party had fielded Muslim candidates, it has this time given ticket to Dervrat Tyagi.

Voting will be held in Meerut in the second phase on April 26, where BJP candidate Arun Govil, Samajwadi Party's Sunita Verma and BSP's Devvrat Kumar Tyagi are in the fray.