Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be fond of taking selfies with the youngsters of the nation, but now taking selfie around the official residence of UP CM Yogi Adityanath can land you in jail.

A banner was put up on Wednesday at the intersection leading towards 5 Kalidas Marg, the official residence of UP Chief Minister in Lucknow, which said that taking pictures and selfies in this VIP area is an offence. Those who caught doing it will face strict action.

Taking a jibe at this move of the UP Police, ex CM of UP Akhilesh Yadav tweeted and said that it’s a New Year gift to the people of Uttar Pradesh, taking selfies will be invite action under UPCOCA.

नए साल में जनता को उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार का तोहफा, सेल्फी लेने पर लग सकता है यूपीकोका! — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) December 20, 2017

In a delicious irony, the intersection on which the banner was hooked was made during the regime of BSP Supremo Mayawati, but later on gates were thrown open for the common man as soon as Akhilesh Yadav became the chief minister of the state.

Akhilesh Yadav, who is also national president of the Samajwadi Party, said that UPCOCA is a tool to threaten the voices against the government. He said, “BJP used to say that encounters of the criminals will improve the law and order situation in the state but nothing has changed. Nothing will change until the government gives charge to able officers. UPCOCA will be used to suppress the voice of the opposition and to threaten them.”

“The government should instead focus more on Dial 100 and 1090 emergency numbers, then only law and order situation can improve,” he added.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati also raised her concerns against UPCOCA and said that this would be used against Dalits, the poor and minorities. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mayawati said, “BJP is using such laws against Dalits and the poor in the BJP-ruled states for their vested interest. Hence, UPCOCA which is made on the basis of MCOCA will also be misused to suppress the voices against the ruling party.”

On the other hand, BJP has said that the opposition to UPCOCA by other parties is very unfortunate. State spokesman Dr. Chandramohan said: The need for a stringent law was being felt for a long time to bring the criminals involved in organised crime in the legal realm in Uttar Pradesh. Now, while the Yogi Government wants to break the backbone of organised and protected crime by bringing the criminals into legal boundaries, the protest against UPCOCA by BSP Supremo Mayawati and other opposition parties is beyond understanding,”