Maya plays police, prosecutor, judge and edgy Chief Minister

‘‘More arrests of Independent and BJP rebels are likely in a day or two because the Chief Minister is blatantly using the police force to intimidate them for supporting her. We will oppose recent action against MLAs on the streets and will not sit idle till the Government goes,’’, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters today.

The process started on October 24 ,a day before the group of Independents withdrew support to Mayawati government:

• On October 24, the premises of Dhananjay Singh, now in Fatehgarh Jail, was raided by the police in Lucknow and his nephew arrested after Dhananjay’s licensed weapon was recovered from him.

• On October 25, police personnel went to the residence of rebel leader Ramasheesh Rai and he claimed that he was being threatened into submission.

• On October 26 ,a case of extortion was slapped on Raja Bhaiyya and his father. The person named as the victim later claimed that he wasn’t aware of the case.

• Several cases of land-grabbing were slapped on Raja Ram Pandey but police action is yet to be taken. The FIR was registered against him following a pending inquiry at the Lok Ayukta office.

• A case of dacoity was registered against rebel BJP MLC Awadh Pal Singh Yadav and his family in Etah district. His uncle was arrested, later released on bail

• On November 3, Raja Bhaiyya and Dhananjay Singh were arrested following FIR alleging extortion filed by Puran Singh Bundela

• A case was also registered against Puran Singh Bundela but was ignored when he returned to the fold and lodged the FIR on the basis of which Raja Bhaiyya and Dhananjay were arrested.

Ironically, while cases were being registered against those opposed to Mayawati, the government withdrew, on October 28, the NSA charges against expelled Congress MLA Akhilesh Singh.

And another notorious criminal-turned-MLA (Independent) Mukhtar Ansari, currently in Tihar jail, faxed a letter of support favouring Mayawati — who’d earlier expelled him from the party — to Raj Bhavan.

Mayawati has said none of the actions against the MLAs are politically motivated. A statement issued by the government on October 30 said the actions were being taken by the district police ‘‘routinely on the basis of pending reports with them’’ ,” the Government clarified on October 30.

When contacted, BJP spokesman Muktar Abbas Naqvi offered no comment.

The BJP leadership has already tried to distance itself from the coercive measures. ‘‘The two Independent MLAs (Raja Bhaiyya and Dhananjay) were arrested because they were threatening our party MLA’’, state BJP chief Vinay Katiyar told The Indian Express.