Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today said her government and party favoured division of the state into three parts, including a separate state of Bundelkhand.

Speaking to the media on her birthday, Mayawati said: “If the Centre agrees, the state government is ready to get a resolution adopted by the Vidhan Sabha seeking division of Uttar Pradesh into three parts — Poorvanchal, districts of western region and the Bundelkhand region.”

Pointing out that “it is not within the authority of the state government to divide... only the Centre can do this,” she said, “I will be grateful to the Government of India if it takes the initiative for the trifurcation of UP.”

Mayawati’s remarks came close on the heels of the demand by Congress to carve out a separate Bundelkhand. A delegation led by UP Congress Committee chief Rita Bahuguna-Joshi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week and demanded setting up of the Second States Reorganisation Commission for this.

Stating that the BSP had always favoured smaller states, Mayawati said: “The BSP did not oppose the creation of Uttarakhand too because the party follows the ideology of Baba Bhim Rao Ambedkar who always advocated small states.”

Besides unveiling two foundation stones (Ballia-NOIDA and NOIDA-Ballia) for the Ganga Expressway, the Chief Minister today announced various other development schemes:

• A Rs 1,600-crore action plan to tackle drought in Bundelkhand

• A health insurance scheme for people below poverty line

• An ultra-mega thermal power project of 4,000 MW with NTPC at Lalitpur

... contd.