Cong at it again: UP law ’n order in disarray‘

The Congress today quoted a police note to boost its campaign against the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, saying the law-enforcing machinery is in a state of ‘‘complete disarray’’ in Uttar Pradesh. The party warned the state government it could count on Congress support till ‘‘we run out of patience’’. Congress general secretary Satyavrat Chaturvedi told Express that the state director-general of police had written to police officials, pointing out that the law and order situation was never as bad as now.

Chaturvedi, who is in charge of UP, said anti-social elements are roaming freely, but people are feeling unsafe. Dacoit Nirbhay Singh Gujjar, he said, holds press conferences without fear, while lawyers are being lathicharged. On the CM’s protests over the Congress campaign, he said: ‘‘Is it a sin if we articulate the concerns of the common man…Mulayam should be obliged to us when as a supporting party, we draw his attention to this aspect.’’

The general secretary, however, ridiculed Yadav’s demand for a Rs 18,000-crore Central package for UP, saying the CM has failed to ensure the utilisation of Rs 537 crore, sanctioned in 2003 for rural development. Though the allocation would have lapsed this year, the Centre had conceded the CM’s request for carrying over the amount to this year. The Chief Secretary said at a recent meeting that Rs 137 crore still remains unspent.