Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday exhorted her partymen to get into gear for the next Lok Sabha elections.
And she also made no bones about her ultimate intention to establish Bahujan Samaj Party rule at the Centre.
"Until you establish BSP rule in New Delhi, you cannot rid Uttar Pradesh of its backwardness," she said amidst cheers from 10,000 party delegates who had converged in Lucknow from each of the state's 403 assembly constituencies, to participate in the celebrations to mark the 74th birth anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram.
Reiterating her view for trifurcation of the state, Mayawati told her audience that she had once again written another letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking creation of an independent Purvanchal (Eastern UP), a Western UP and Bundelkhand "to ensure comprehensive development of every part of an oversized Uttar Pradesh."
With an obvious view to throwing the ball in the Centre's court, she made it a point to emphasise, "Let me tell you that under the Constitution, only the Centre is empowered to carve out a new state."
Lucknow was virtually painted in the BSP blue with hundreds of hoardings, cut-outs, posters, banners, buntings and welcome arches draped in blue and white literally enveloping the entire skyline.
While the day's celebrations began with a mini marathon in which thousands of youths participated, it was followed by the inauguration of the BSP's new state headquarter erected on a sprawling 2 acre plot created after raising two ministerial bungalows in Mall Avenue, the state capital's most prime area.
Apart from its grandeur, that is typical of all Mayawati initiated buildings, the party office has a gigantic hall to accommodate a gathering of 10,000.
Later in the afternoon, she gave away a series of awards instituted in the name of Kanshi Ram, who was also her political mentor.
Apart from honouring three members of the under-19 Indian Cricket team belonging to the state, she also honoured four artists from different disciplines.
Besides, she also launched a number of schemes and projects named after Kanshi Ram.
While work on the Rs 253 crore Kanshi Ram Memorial, a Rs 300 crore Kanshi Ram multi-speciality hospital and a Kanshi Ram Memorial Medical College, a children's hospital, and a state of art convention centre had commenced sometime back, 74 new bridges constructed in different parts of the state were formally opened to the people on Saturday.
In addition, Mayawati also launched several drinking water schemes named after Kanshi Ram and laid the foundation stone of the Kanshi Ram Tourism Management Institute and a Kanshi Ram Environment Centre.
More from rediff