"If our govt forms, we will declare western UP as seperate state": Mayawati

Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 14 : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati announced on Sunday that if her government is formed at the Centre, they will declare Western Uttar Pradesh as a separate state.
Addressing a public meeting here today, the BSP supremo alleged that during the Samajwadi Party's government in Uttar Pradesh, hatred between Jat and the Muslim community was increased.
"We will declare Western Uttar Pradesh as a separate state when our government is formed at the Centre, for the development of the people of this region. Along with this, special attention will be given to the interests of farmers, labourers, unemployed and small traders. When the party was formed, people from the opposition party had spread the word that BSP was against the Jats. But when our government was formed, there were no riots in Western Uttar Pradesh, especially in Muzaffarnagar," she said.
"We did not allow any caste conflict or communal conflict to happen here. The Brotherhood of Jats and Muslims was broken during the SP government. Here Muslims and Jats fought among themselves," she added.
Further, Mayawati said that to maintain brotherhood among Muslims and Jats in Muzzafarnagar Constituency, she wanted to field a Muslim candidate from here.
"We gave ticket to a person coming from an extremely backward class in Muzaffarnagar. To maintain brotherhood among Muslims and the Jaat community, we have fielded Chaudhary Bijender Singh from the Bijnor Lok Sabha seat. But we have not neglected the Muslim people of Muzaffarnagar. We took full care of them in politics as well. My heart wished that from here the Muslim community should come forward in the election field but the SP government had generated so much hatred that no one from the Muslim community was ready to contest the election. Because of this we had to field the extremely backward class in the elections," Mayawati said.
"Nevertheless, I have fielded Maulana Jamil Ahmed from Hardwar seat of Uttarakhand, which is adjacent to the Muzaffarnagar seat," she added.
A huge rally was organised in support of the BSP candidate from Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha today at Government Inter College, Muzaffarnagar.
Sharpening her attacks on the opposition, the BSP supremo said that due to the decisions and policies of Congress for Dalits, Tribals, the grand old party has lost power at both the centre and state levels.
"Power has been in the hands of Congress since independence. Due to the decisions and policies taken for Dalits, tribals, and other backward caste people, Congress has today lost power in many states, along with the Centre. The mentality of the BJP is also narrow. BJP will never return to power easily in the future if elections are held in a free and fair manner. Now the theatrics or rhetoric of the BJP are not going to work. The people of the country have understood that the promises made by them to show good days to the poor and middle class of the country have not been fulfilled yet," Mayawati added.