'Mayawati's demand for UP's trifurcation a political gimmick'

Strongly opposing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's demand for trifurcation of the state, the Samajwadi Party, on Monday, called it a "political gimmick" aimed at diverting people's attention from corruption charges against her.

"She (Mayawati) is facing Central Bureau of Investigation enquiries on corruption charges, Taj corridor scam and has amassed disproportionate wealth. She has played a politically motivated card of smaller states to divert people's attention, but, people of the state have now well understood her and will not fall prey to her gimmicks," SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told media-persons.

Yadav alleged that Mayawati only wants to throw the state into a turmoil since she has completely failed to manage it. "Corruption has been injected into the veins of the administrative set up and she is encashing it for amassing wealth from all corners and has no will to remove the sufferings of the people," he said. Yadav said "Uttar Pradesh has already suffered a lot due to the politically-motivated decision of creating Uttarakhand by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee." Creating new states would require massive funds. Setting up new capital, housings for officers and new staff will further shrink the land affecting the agriculture growth and production, for which the state is already suffering, the SP supremo said.

Yadav said Mayawati should also tell people which cities should be the capitals of the proposed states, as a "wrong" move on Telangana has thrown Andhra Pradesh into disarray on the question of its capital. Citing the example of Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand, Yadav said "the issue of state capitals in all these states have remained unresolved till now. "Jharkhand is also struggling to control the menace of Naxalites," he said.