Jairam Ramesh for dividing Uttar Pradesh

Close on the heels of the UPA government's decision to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Wednesday favoured restructuring of Uttar Pradesh.

Ramesh said: "If a debate on reorganisation of states is to be held, priority should be given to reorganisation of Uttar Pradesh because the current structure of the state is ungovernable."

He said: "Purely from an administrative point of view, a state of over 200 million people, 72 districts, over 800 blocks is just not governable. It is my personal view. The state's politics is a separate issue."

Ramesh's comments came hours after BSP chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati renewed her demand for splitting the country's biggest state into four parts.

Citing his experience during his last week's visit to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh which witnessed six district magistrates in 12 months, Ramesh said: "The size of Uttar Pradesh and the administrative and the political interference in the administration are destroying the state. No chief minister would know the names of 72 districts by heart."

"Bihar has been reorganised. Madhya Pradesh has been reorganised. Reorganisation of Uttar Pradesh is long overdue," he said.