Party says BSP chief knows her ‘divide UP’ plan is no more than a ploy to cheat voters.
For many reasons, the Congress has come to the conclusion that the demand for smaller states emerging from different corners of the country can be examined by a second states reorganisation commission only after the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections.
“We have no doubt that BSP leader Mayawati has simply played an electoral stunt. She also knows that it is not possible to carve out new states in the short time available before the elections, so any serious consideration has to wait till the elections are over,” said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh referred to the regional difficulties in the process of a four-way division of the state. “When she talks of a separate Bundelkhand, it involves the regions that fall within Madhya Pradesh; similarly, in the context of Purvanchal, there has been demand from the regions that are a part of Bihar. The entire issue has to be looked at from a national perspective, and a second SRC is the only option,” he added.
The backwardness of Bundelkhand has been a constant issue with Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi who had taken the initiative for a special development package for this region. The party has also backed the demand for a separate Bundelkhand.
However, it has been conceded that even an SRC can’t be set up before the UP state assembly elections due to administrative and logistical issues at such short notice.
“The elections will also give us an opportunity to assess the people’s mood. If the issue gains traction, and there is a palpable impact, the SRC would become inevitable. Or else, the issue will fizzle out,” said a senior party functionary.
However, even as it appears receptive to the idea of an SRC in the context of UP and other regions, the Congress is non-committal about the demand for a separate Telangana. Similarly, it’s keeping its options open on the position it shall be taking when the UP state assembly takes up this resolution proposed by Mayawati.
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