An irate Samajwadi Party on Tuesday demanded in the Lok Sabha for the immediate withdrawal of the 'dreaded' Prevention of Terrorism Act saying it is being misused for political purposes.

Accusing the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh of misusing the POTA against her political opponents, party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav warned that if it the act is not scrapped, it could lead to a civil war in the state.

He received strong support from Communist Party of India, Marxist, leader Somnath Chatterjee and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.   

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour session in the House , Samajawadi Party member Ramji Lal Suman said the National Democratic Alliance government had convened a joint session of the Parliament just to approve POTA and it had at that time assured the act would not be misused.

But, Suman said, it was first misused in Tamil Nadu where the Jayalalithaa government arrested Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko and now the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has gone all out to harass her political detractors using POTA.

Former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya and his father had been arrested under POTA in Uttar Pradesh on 'baseless charges', Suman said. He demanded a justification for their arrest from Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and Law Minister Jana Krishnamurthy.