Mayawati seeks Centre's nod for Bundelkhand

Favouring carving out of smaller states, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati today sought the Centre's consent for the creation of separate Bundelkhand and western Uttar Pradesh states on the lines of Telangana.

"I have renewed the demand for smaller states through a letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh today to give consent to Uttar Pradesh, as it has given to Andhra Pradesh for setting up a separate Telangana state", Mayawati told reporters here.

"Both the Bahujan Samaj Party and my government are of the view that smaller districts and states are conducive to all-round development, and we have been making a demand for the trifurcation of Uttar Pradesh through letters," she said, adding she had also written to the Centre in this regard on March 15, 2008.

Mayawati stressed that her government would support the demand for separate states in case the Centre takes an initiative in this direction as required under Section 3 of the Constitution, and would immediately get a resolution passed by the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.

"The people of Bundelkhand and western Uttar Pradesh have been making the demand for separate states for a long time, and it has gained momentum ever since the Centre has agreed on Telangana," she said, and added that considering its vast population and size, Uttar Pradesh is a very big state.