Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, who was the first to pass the Bill to introduce Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act (UPCOCA) advocating it necessary to put a curb on mafia syndicate in the State, now took a `U-Turn’ when she made similar allegations on present Yogi Adityanath led Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government, which the then Manmohan Singh led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government made while rejecting to give consent to the said Act in 2007.
``UPCOCA in anti-people as the state government might use the Act to suppress dalits, poor and minority communities”, apprehends Mayawati while opposing the move of the Yogi Adityanath of getting the Act once again cleared from the Floor of the State Assembly on Wednesday. In a statement released here on Wednesday, Mayawati said the government could use UPCOCA to settle political scores and demanded withdrawal of the proposed Act in public interest. Mayawati reaction came after the state government introduced the bill to enact a stringent law on the lines of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to combat land mafia, mining mafia and organised crimes in the state.
She said that innocent dalits, backwards and others would be faced with wrong implementation of law and cited the case against BSP’s Aligarh corporator on trumped up charges of disturbing communal harmony when he took oath in Urdu.
Interestingly Mayawati was first to get UPCOCA Bill cleared from the Floor of the same House when she was heading the state government in 2007. The Bill was sent to Central Government for President’s nod but was returned to the state government denying the consent.
``The Centre felt that present laws are enough to control crime and introduction of fresh law like UPCOCA would only led to misuse of power by the government to settle score with the opposition party leaders in the name of controlling organised crime particularly those belonging to minority and weaker class”, quoted then UPA government while returning the Bill passed by then Bahujan Samaj Party government and now the same allegation was made by Mayawati against the BJP government.
Mayawati said that state government was being partial in treating criminals and land mafias. BJP is targeting only one community in the name of law and order, and criminals having links with BJP leaders were getting political protection. She claimed that the Yogi Adityanath government is already miusing various laws for communal and political reasons, and the UPCOC bill, if passed, will only worsen the situation. Besides Mayawati, Gujarat, too has a similar law passed by its legislature in April 2003, but is still awaiting presidential approval. It may be also mentioned here that the presidential assent was denied by then UPA government in the Centre as it was observed that Maharashtra and Gujarat had allegedly applied the law more against the minorities and other political party leaders in the two states.