A MCOCA like law in UP soon, Left opposes the move

Lucknow: The much-feared Bill aimed at curbing organised crime in the state was tabled by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday in the Legislative Assembly amid murmurs from the Opposition benches.

The Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act (UPCOCA) 2017 was tabled as supplementary agenda as it was not on the normal agenda of the House. The Bill is likely to sail through smoothly in the Assembly, but the government would have to face stiff opposition in the Legislative Council as it doesn’t have majority just as it has in the Assembly.

Observers feel that UPCOCA is somewhat similar to MCOCA and chances of misuse of the law could not be ruled out.

Meanwhile, terming UPCOCA as anti-people, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati said the state government might use the Act to suppress dalits, poor and minority communities.

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.(UNI)

Left Parties opposes UPCOCA

Left parties have vehemently opposed the move by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to bring a stringent law against organised crime in the state on the lines of MCOCA of Maharashtra.

CPI(M) as well as CPI(ML) have opposed the move of the UP government to bring Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act (UPCOCA) and alleged that it will be misused against the opposition political party leaders and workers.CPI(M) state secretariat in a statement on Thursday said that there are enough stringent laws under the prevailing IPC and CrPC and there was no need of any new law.

"By bringing UPCOCA, the BJP government was trying to give a message to the opposition parties that any opposition to the government would not be tolerated," it further said.Similarly CI(ML) state secretary Sudhakar Yadav too expressed the same apprehension like the CPI(M) and claimed that there was a bigger conspiracy by the BJP in bringing this new law.

UPCOCA has been approved by the UP cabinet and was tabled in the state Assembly on Wednesday.Principal opposition Samajwadi Party along with Congress have already registered that opposition on the new law while BSP was yet to clear its stand.(UNI)