Lucknow, Nov 21: Amidst din, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly today passed a controversial resolution on splitting the state into four parts by voice vote minutes after which the lower house was adjourned sine die.
Chief Minister Mayawati, who had announced the proposal recently to split the state into Purvanchal, Paschim Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Awadh Pradesh, presented the resolution saying that it was being forwarded to the Centre.
As soon as the proposal was passed by voice vote amidst noisy scenes, Speaker Rajbhar adjourned the House sine-die.
The Opposition, which wanted to bring no confidence motion against the state government, criticised the move to pass the resolution by voice vote and then adjourning the Assembly.
Alleging that BSP government ignored Baba Saheb's (Bhim Rao Ambedkar) Constitution and adjourned the House sine-die, Leader of Opposition Shivpal Singh Yadav told reporters that “The government should have discussed the no-confidence motion and go for voting”.
He also accused the Speaker of acting as a BSP member. About state's reorganisation, SP said that people of the state were against splitting the state.
CLP leader Pramod Tiwari said his party favoured constitution of state reorganisation commission before taking the decision to split the state so that resources division and other issues could be considered.
In the House of 403, BSP had 220 members (after six of its members have been disqualified recently), SP had 89, BJP 48, Cong 20, RLD 10, independent 9, RSP one.
Earlier, the Winter Session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly started on a stormy noted with BJP members jumping into the well of the House while SP members started slogan shouting against the government and waved placards.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma said the BSP government had full majority in the House but opposition members did pay heed to him.
Amidst din, Speaker Sukhdeo Rajbhar adjourned the question hour till 12.20 pm.
When the House met again, in the presence of Mayawati, who was not present during question hour, the SP and BJP members jumped into the well demanding discussion on no-confidence motion.
Amidst din, hurling of paper balls on the Speaker and alert marshalls trying to catch them, vote on account for the first four months of 2012-13 was passed by the House.
Tiwari alleged that BSP government acted against democracy and SP and BJP had helped the party in the job.
“Both SP and BJP jumped into the well. No confidence motion could not be brought from the well. They should have stood in their place for discussion on the motion”, Tiwari said.
Terming proposal of division of state as mere “election stunt”, BJP Leader Om Prakash Singh said that Centre should not accept the proposal.
Advocating for a reorganisation commission, Singh said that as UP's proposal was passed without discussion and debate it should not be accepted at any cost. Rastriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Kokab Hamid said the state government was not serious about splitting the state and the way the proposal was passed showed the same.
SP and BJP will be meeting Governor BL Joshi later in the day to register their protest against the BSP government.
In a bid to outsmart rivals ahead of the Assembly elections, Mayawati had last week announced her plans to bring a resolution in the House for carving out four new states.
The Chief Minister, who had earlier written a letter for reorganisation of the state to the Prime Minister maintaining that it was not in the jurisdiction of the state, had said that the decision has been taken after proper consideration to mount pressure on the Centre.
This demand is also in keeping with the aspirations and ambitions of these regions, she had claimed.
Mayawati's move is seen as an attempt by her to cash in on the sentiments in favour of small states in the western and eastern regions and the Bundelkhand area of the state during the Assembly elections.
