With the Lok Sabha elections on the horizon, the Mayawati Government on Thursday decided to withdraw the UPCOCA (Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act), which the Assembly had passed in the 2007 Budget session and which had been awaiting the President’s assent.

Explaining her about-turn, the Chief Minister said that there was no need to have UPCOCA as her Government had already improved law and order in the state by strictly enforcing the existing laws.

“In the term of our Government, the law and order situation has improved, for which the credit should go to the police personnel. Dreaded dacoits like Dadua and Thokia have been killed, other crimes have also gone down considerably. Now there is no need to have UPCOCA, and therefore my Government is withdrawing it with immediate effect,” Mayawati told the media.

Only two days back, Union Minister for State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal had indicated that the Centre may not okay UPCOCA. He had also stated that already there were so many laws which were not being implemented forcefully.

Mayawati said her Government initially decided to introduce UPCOCA because of a law and order crisis, “thanks to the previous Government”.

She also pointed out that at the time the strongest protest came from the Congress, “which surprisingly never opposed MCOCA (the Maharashtra Act)”.

“They should now take a lesson from the Uttar Pradesh Government, which has improved law and order by strengthening the existing laws, and should withdraw MCOCA,” said Mayawati.

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