"Be cautious of BJP, SP...": BSP chief Mayawati on Sultanpur encounter

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 9 : Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party over the recent encounter of Mangesh Yadav, in Sultanpur, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday warned the people to be "cautious of the drama" of the BJP and SP and said that "no fake encounters" took place during BSP rule in Uttar Pradesh.
"After the encounter incident in Sultanpur district of UP, the BJP and SP are blaming each other for law and order and are doing politics forcefully in the name of crime, criminals and caste, while in this case both they are chor chor mausera bhai'. That is, like the BJP, the law and order situation was many times worse in the SP government. People have not forgotten that the SP goons and mafia used to rob and beat up Dalits, other backward classes, the poor and businessmen in broad daylight," Mayawati posted on X.
She further said that the law was in place only under the rule of the BSP and warned the people to be cautious of the drama of rule of law by BJP and SP.
"Whereas in Uttar Pradesh, in reality, the rule of law by law has been in place only under the rule of BSP. Justice was given to the people without any discrimination on the basis of caste and religion. There were no fake encounters etc. Therefore, everyone should be cautious of the drama of rule of law by BJP and SP," she added.
A war of words has erupted between the Opposition and the ruling political party in Uttar Pradesh over the recent encounter of Mangesh Yadav, in Sultanpur.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday targeted SP President Akhilesh Yadav and said that the SP is feeling bad about the death of a dacoit in an encounter.
"You see, when a mafia or a dacoit is killed in a police encounter, it's as if the police have touched a sensitive nerve, and they start crying out. Tell me, if a dacoit, who was killed in an encounter, had been left to continue his crimes... could the Samajwadi Party have brought those lives back?" CM Yogi said.
"During the SP government, police used to run while the goons used to chase them. Today, their roles have been reversed. The mafia is running, police are chasing," he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that in the BJP-ruled states, the 'law and constitution' are being flouted by those who are responsible for their implementation.
"The encounter of Mangesh Yadav in Sultanpur has once again proved that BJP does not believe in the 'Rule of Law'. Professional forces like STF are being run like 'criminal gangs' under the BJP government, the silence of the Central government on this is their clear agreement on this 'thoko policy'. Dozens of encounters of UP STF are under question. Has any action been taken against any of those officers till date? After all, who is saving them and why. Touching the Constitution in front of cameras is just a pretense when your own governments are openly tearing it to pieces," Rahul Gandhi posted on X.
He further said that all suspicious encounters in Uttar Pradesh should be investigated impartially and justice should be done.