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'UP will be divided into four parts': Minister OP Rajbhar's big remark reignites row, claims PM Modi ‘assured' him
Congress leader Imran Masood backed Rajbhar's idea of dividing UP, arguing that the state’s large geographical size makes administration and travel difficult.
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SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar has reignited the two-decade-old debate of Uttar Pradesh's division, saying the state will be divided into four parts after a caste census.
Rajbhar, a cabinet minister and an NDA ally, also claimed that he was assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the division of the state could happen after the caste census, news agency PTI reported. The UP leader made the remarks at 'Samajik Samrasta Maha Rally' organised by the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) in Deoria on Sunday.
Also read: 'Division is inevitable': UP minister calls for split of state into 4, makes Purvanchal CM demand
"We want to assure you regarding the 27 per cent reservation. I spoke with the prime minister about this," Rajbhar, whose party is currently allied with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, was quoted as saying.
"He (Modi) said, 'Om Prakash ji, your point is justified, but some people are opposing it.' I asked him how we could move forward, and he replied, 'I will conduct a caste census, and once we have counted the castes, there will be no difficulty,'" Rajbhar said.
He further added that the state will be divided into four parts and a Rajbhar's son will become the chief minister when the Purvanchal state is formed. “If the chief minister is to be from any caste, then a Rajbhar's son will become the chief minister,” he said.
Also read: A national party with no presence in Parliament: The shrinking of the BSP
Imran Masood backs Rajbhar's claim
Rajbhar's claim found support from Congress leader Imran Masood who backed the idea of dividing Uttar Pradesh into smaller states, arguing that the state’s large geographical size makes administration and travel difficult.
“I support the division of Uttar Pradesh. I would be very happy if Uttar Pradesh is divided because it is a very big state and it will benefit the country. Uttar Pradesh is such a big state that if you have to travel from one corner to another, it takes more than 24 hours. There are many countries in the world that are smaller than Uttar Pradesh,” Masood was quoted as saying by ANI.
Backlash over division claims
However, Uttar Pradesh minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad dismissed the claim as misleading, saying his party was not in favour of any such division.
Also read: Caste census: DMK chief Stalin urges Centre to avoid discrepancies, demands TN Assembly resolution
"There had been a demand to divide UP earlier, but now the state is progressing rapidly in all spheres. Further, special development funds have been allocated for regions like Bundelkhand and Purvanchal that needed handholding," Nishad was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav too dismissed the idea and warned against attempts to divide the country and the state.
"Those who are talking about dividing the country are also talking about dividing the state. Tomorrow, they may want to divide the country. The country is very big. We all have to work together to make our country stronger," the SP president said at a press conference in Lucknow.
BSP's Uttar Pradesh chief, Vishwanath Pal, referred to the proposal for dividing UP that was cleared by the state Assembly during Mayawati's tenure as chief minister.
"You are aware that BSP doesn't engage in empty promises. Whatever has happened so far on the issue has happened during Behenji's rule," Pal told PTI. He said large districts in UP were divided during Mayawati's tenure "so that those districts could develop better."
"That is why we feel that any substantial step in that regard would be made only when Behenji is in power in UP and Centre," Pal said.
