Describing it a 'poorly drafted document', the Congress led UPA government has returned the proposal to split UP into four parts -- Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, Awadh Pradesh and Paschim Pradesh -- passed by the state assembly on November 21, throwing ball back in the court of chief minister Mayawati who has made UP division as one of its main issue for the assembly elections to be held in next few months.
The ministry of home affairs has raised eight questions over the proposal sent by the state government including the economic feasibility of the entire exercise. It has asked what would be the boundaries of the four proposed states, the districts included, capitals, district-wise population and area, how the officers of the Indian Administrative Services will be divided, how will the existing administrative units be divided and what will be the revenue sharing criterion between the states.
Observing that the proposal seems to have been drafted without conducting any research of economic and administrative feasibility, the key questions asked by MHA also included how the huge debt burden of the country's most populous state will be divided. According to a CAG report, the state government has spent around 97% of the fund raised though borrowings towards the payment of its debts, which are exceeding over Rs 1,80,000 crore. Reports also suggested that UP's public debt is likely to touch Rs 2,04,000 crore in 2011-12 against Rs 1,80,000 in 2010-11.
While the Opposition parties, including Congress, grabbed the opportunity to dub the proposal drafted by the Mayawati government as an election stunt which was bound to boomerang, sources in the UP government said that the MHA letter is part of bureaucratic interaction. "Its not the case of MHA rejecting the proposal, rather the correspondence is requesting some added clarifications on the state division proposal and that would be provided with in due course," said a senior officer.
The resolution to split UP into four parts was passed by the state assembly in the winter session, which lasted only two hours with effective functioning of merely 16 minutes. The Mayawati government bulldozed the resolution while rejecting the no confidence motion brought by the principal opposition party, the SP. The SP had also made it clear that it is against any kind of division of the state. The Congress and BJP had also opposed the resolution but on grounds that the split should be done through state reorganisation commission formed by the parliament. Only RLD had supported the resolution. However, all the parties had supported the no confidence motion. But amid uproar, the state government tabled vote on accounts and resolution to reorganise the state into four small states before adjouring assembly sine die. It was also the last assembly session faced by the Mayawati government.
Later, Mayawati had trashed Opposition's no confidence motion saying that she enjoys majority in the house and accused SP, BJP and Congress of opposing `the UP reorganisation proposal', which she claimed was meant for better administration and development. She had also cited the example of Telengana and accused Congress of fooling people demanding separate statehood. She had also clarified that she has been demanding division of UP since 2007 but when Centre took no decision so far, she decided to bring the resolution to mount pressure on the UPA government to initiate the reorganisation process.
Significantly, Mayawati had also raised the issue on her rally on Sunday saying that she has sent the proposal but Congress led UPA government has taken no action on the issue. She had exhorted people to give a reply to the Congress and parties who opposed the resolution meant for development by voting against them in the upcoming elections.
SP leader Ambika Chaudhary said that the proposal was drafted by the Mayawati to divert the attention of the people from her five year misrule. Congress leaders raised questions over ruling BSP's intention over the resolution. If Mayawati is really serious about the division of the state for development, she would have conducted a thorough research before drafting the proposal. BJP said that Centre's action has vindicated its stand that the division of the state should be done through state organisation commission.
However, Raja Bundela, who had formed a Bundelkhand Congress demanding separate statehood for Bundelkhand, said that UPA government's stand has exposed double standards of the Congress party which on hand says that it is favour of small states but on the other creates hurdles. He described Centre's move as a set back for `democratic exercise' conducted by the UP assembly where the proposal was passed with a voice vote. Lok Manch leader Amar Singh, who is supporting division of state, said that Centre's move raises question over credibility of RLD chief Ajit Singh, who joined UPA government on Sunday and has been demanding a separate west UP state with the name Harit Pradesh.
The ministry of home affairs has raised eight questions over the proposal sent by the state government including the economic feasibility of the entire exercise. It has asked what would be the boundaries of the four proposed states, the districts included, capitals, district-wise population and area, how the officers of the Indian Administrative Services will be divided, how will the existing administrative units be divided and what will be the revenue sharing criterion between the states.
Observing that the proposal seems to have been drafted without conducting any research of economic and administrative feasibility, the key questions asked by MHA also included how the huge debt burden of the country's most populous state will be divided. According to a CAG report, the state government has spent around 97% of the fund raised though borrowings towards the payment of its debts, which are exceeding over Rs 1,80,000 crore. Reports also suggested that UP's public debt is likely to touch Rs 2,04,000 crore in 2011-12 against Rs 1,80,000 in 2010-11.
While the Opposition parties, including Congress, grabbed the opportunity to dub the proposal drafted by the Mayawati government as an election stunt which was bound to boomerang, sources in the UP government said that the MHA letter is part of bureaucratic interaction. "Its not the case of MHA rejecting the proposal, rather the correspondence is requesting some added clarifications on the state division proposal and that would be provided with in due course," said a senior officer.
The resolution to split UP into four parts was passed by the state assembly in the winter session, which lasted only two hours with effective functioning of merely 16 minutes. The Mayawati government bulldozed the resolution while rejecting the no confidence motion brought by the principal opposition party, the SP. The SP had also made it clear that it is against any kind of division of the state. The Congress and BJP had also opposed the resolution but on grounds that the split should be done through state reorganisation commission formed by the parliament. Only RLD had supported the resolution. However, all the parties had supported the no confidence motion. But amid uproar, the state government tabled vote on accounts and resolution to reorganise the state into four small states before adjouring assembly sine die. It was also the last assembly session faced by the Mayawati government.
Later, Mayawati had trashed Opposition's no confidence motion saying that she enjoys majority in the house and accused SP, BJP and Congress of opposing `the UP reorganisation proposal', which she claimed was meant for better administration and development. She had also cited the example of Telengana and accused Congress of fooling people demanding separate statehood. She had also clarified that she has been demanding division of UP since 2007 but when Centre took no decision so far, she decided to bring the resolution to mount pressure on the UPA government to initiate the reorganisation process.
Significantly, Mayawati had also raised the issue on her rally on Sunday saying that she has sent the proposal but Congress led UPA government has taken no action on the issue. She had exhorted people to give a reply to the Congress and parties who opposed the resolution meant for development by voting against them in the upcoming elections.
SP leader Ambika Chaudhary said that the proposal was drafted by the Mayawati to divert the attention of the people from her five year misrule. Congress leaders raised questions over ruling BSP's intention over the resolution. If Mayawati is really serious about the division of the state for development, she would have conducted a thorough research before drafting the proposal. BJP said that Centre's action has vindicated its stand that the division of the state should be done through state organisation commission.
However, Raja Bundela, who had formed a Bundelkhand Congress demanding separate statehood for Bundelkhand, said that UPA government's stand has exposed double standards of the Congress party which on hand says that it is favour of small states but on the other creates hurdles. He described Centre's move as a set back for `democratic exercise' conducted by the UP assembly where the proposal was passed with a voice vote. Lok Manch leader Amar Singh, who is supporting division of state, said that Centre's move raises question over credibility of RLD chief Ajit Singh, who joined UPA government on Sunday and has been demanding a separate west UP state with the name Harit Pradesh.
No comments:
Post a Comment