'Law and order has gone for a toss in the state. In Uttar Pradesh, it is not the police but BSP leaders who decide (what) sections (are) to be imposed on a criminal,' he said.

His colleague and Rajya Sabha member Kamal Akhtar told IANS: 'The administration in the state has collapsed. There is a virtual dictatorship of Mayawati. We demand that this government be dismissed.'

Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja said: 'I condemn the remarks of Rita Bahuguna Joshi against Mayawati but I don't approve the vandalism at her house. This cannot be accepted in a democracy.'

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: 'She (Mayawati) has completely lost it. It is no short of 'jungle raj'. It is state-sponsored vandalism, state-sponsored crime.'

Condemning the attack on Joshi's house, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said: 'All this happened at the behest of the chief minister. We are aware of the fact that when this was happening all the top officials of state government were sitting with the chief minister and the culprits have been named in the FIR.

'The main culprit is a BSP legislator, Babloo Tiwari, who spearheaded the attack. Police were told that the incident would happen and the media was (told) to reach Rita Bahuguna's house and all this has happened under the sponsorship of the state government. The Congress party will fight it at whatever level we can,' said Singh.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: 'Her house is torched down, cars are burnt. This is state-sponsored vandalism, state-sponsored hooliganism and we certainly intend to take a strong view of it. We will take all legal records available to us.'