The Bill seeks to curb organised crime and deal strictly with those trying to foment terror or dislodge the government forcibly or through violent means.
Opposition benches lay empty as the Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill (UPCOCB), 2017 was again passed by voice vote in the state Assembly on Tuesday.
The Bill seeks to curb organised crime and deal strictly with those trying to foment terror or dislodge the government forcibly or through violent means.
Calling the Bill “kala kanoon (black law), “anti-Constitution, anti-democracy, anti-journalists as well as anti-MLAs”, all Opposition members staged a walkout before the Bill was placed for a voice vote.
CM Yogi Adityanath alleged that the Bill was being opposed just for the sake of it and accused the Opposition of being sympathetic towards criminals instead of the public. “Virodh ke liye sirf virodh ho… mujhe lagta hai… Janata ke prati sahanabhuti ke bajaye aparadhiyon ka mahimamandit karte hain,” he said. The Opposition denied the allegation and said that the Bill was like an “undeclared emergency”.
After it was cleared by the Assembly in December last year, the UPCOCB was sent to the Legislative Council’s select committee. It was again rejected by the Council last week after it was cleared by the select committee and sent to the Assembly for consideration.
Informing the House that further discussion was not required since the select committee had made no amendments to the original Bill, Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit put it to a vote. Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary, BSP Legislature Party leader Lalji Verma and Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar “Lallu” then demanded that it be sent to the Assembly’s select committee. Soon after, the entire Opposition staged a walkout.
“Following an increase in the ambit of crime, such a law was required for a long time now. Considering the way comments were made on public representatives in Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the biggest states, considering how the state’s boundaries touch those of other states and countries, and for the security of people of this state, the need for such a law was felt,” said Adityanath.
Chaudhary said, “If claims made by the chief minister about controlling crime in the state in the past one year are true, then what is the need for such a law?”
