Mulayam will not be spared if he takes law in his hands: Mayawati

Lucknow, Jan 9 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today warned Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav to be ready to face dire consequences if his party workers, who she termed criminals and goons, continued with violence in the state.

''My government will not discriminate with any leader as far as maintenance of law and order is concerned,'' she told reporters here this evening.

The assertion of the Chief Minister came in the wake of large scale violence by the SP activists in various districts of the state in which at least one person was killed in Etawah, the home district of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.

SP workers were on the rampage since last night when the party leader Shiv Pal Singh was allegedly manhandled by the police in the state capital during a protest against police action against some students. Mr Shiv Pal Singh Yadav and party MP Akhilesh Singh Yadav were arrested last night only to be released later.

As the news reached other parts of the state, the SP workers indulged in violence at several places.

Justifying the police action, Ms Mayawati said her government was committed to maintain law and order in the state and nobody would be allowed to take law in his hands.

''Agar Mulayam Singh Yadav bhi kanoon todenge to unke saath bhi sakhti se nibta jayega ( Even Mulayam Singh Yadav breaks the law, he too would be dealt with a heavy hand),'' she stated.

Admitting that one activist was killed and several others were injured in the violence, the Chief Minister said it had resulted when a mob of anti-social elements attacked the police party. ''The action of the police was not unprovoked and some policemen also got injured in the violence,'' she said.

In reply to a question, Ms Mayawati denied that the action against the SP activist was a fall-out of the old political rivalry between SP and BSP saying her party workers were never involved in this. ''It was a clear case of SP workers attacking the police which is out to maintain law and order in the state,''she added.

Reiterating that law and order was foremost on her government's agenda, the Chief Minister said there would be no compromise on this issue and all including BSP workers would be treated alike if found to infringe into the rule of law.

Meanwhile, she said divisional commissioner of Kanpur has been rushed to Etawah to probe into violence in which one youth Mukesh Kumar Yadav was killed.

UNI SB/MB BDP GC1751