UP Assembly rocked over bifurcation issue

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes over the issue of division of the state when the Samajwadi Party members opposed the idea, while members from RLD pressed for it.

The issue was raised in the Question Hour when Ajay Tomar (Rashtriya Lok Dal) asked the government to go by its words and pass a resolution in the House to pave the way for division of the state.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma sought to make it clear that the UP government would get the resolution passed by the state legislature as soon as it received a proposal from the Centre.

He also asserted that the constitution vested the power to create new states with the Centre and the role of the state government started after the central government approved the same.

Mr Verma said the Mayawati government was already in the favour of carving out smaller states from UP and was willing to move forward in this regard. ''... but, this is possible only after the Centre approves it,'' he pointed out.

The SP members, however, were opposed to creation of smaller states and said such idea was not economically viable.

Ambika Chaudhary and Awadhesh Prasad of SP said the creation of Uttarakhand was not a feasible decision and the division of the state should be repulsed.

The SP members staged a walkout from the House in protest against the state government's favourable tone for division of state.