Mayawati govt has lost the right to continue in office: UPCC chief

Criticising Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh for poor law and order situation, state Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi today said the present government has lost the moral right to continue in office.

"It is not the rule of law but dictates of criminal and mafia elements which is prevailing in the state and the Mayawati government has no moral right to continue in office," Joshi, who was here to pay a visit to the bereaved family of Congress worker Rajjan Shukla murdered on Monday last, said.

Warning of launching an agitation in case killers of Rajjan Shukla were not brought to book soon, Joshi promised that the party would ensure that the family got justice.

"I have come here on the directives of the Congress MP, Rahul Gandhi who would also come here soon as all party workers here are like members of the Gandhi family", Joshi said adding she has forwarded the message from Gandhi to the family.

The UPCC president said it was an irony that on one hand the chief minister makes tall claims of expelling all criminal elements from the party and on another her MLAs are "masterminding" murders.

Rajjan Shukla was gunned down on Monday night and his father had alleged that ruling party MLA from Gauriganj, Chandra Prakash Misra was behing the crime. Three people including mafia Baba Giri have already been arrested in this connection.