The Congress highcommand was left red in the face today as the statewide bandh called by its party unit in Uttar Pradesh, to put the Mulayam Singh Government in a spot, boomeranged. Not only did shops and other establishments remain open throughout the state, the bandh even failed to make a mark in Lucknow, the site of Friday’s violent clash between lawyers and police. The state Congress had, in fact, called today’s bandh to protest against the attack on the lawyers, as also the murder of Samajwadi Party MLC Ajit Singh in Unnao.‘‘The Mulayam government has completely failed to check the rising crime graph in the state. The situation has come to such a pass that a ruling party MLC has been shot dead. It’s high time that Mulayam submit his resignation, owning moral responsibility,’’ said state party chief Jagdambika Pal. But such was the poor response to his bandh call that traders at Hazratganj reopened their shops as soon as Pal and his men left the vicinity.‘‘We have won even if the shops remained closed for few minutes. It is a symbolic gesture,’’ CLP leader Pramod Tiwari claimed. Sources said, the Congress high command has slammed the state leadership for the failure of the bandh, which has dented the party’s image further in a state where it is trying hard to regain its political glory.Mulayam suspends 4 cops, lawyers not convinced: The UP government on Monday suspended four traffic constables for ‘‘not exercising restraint in dealing with violent mob of lawyers’’. The government also recommended punitive action against three homeguards. But the suspensions hardly appeased the agitating lawyers, who have demanded the immediate transfer of the Lucknow IG and DIG, besides an unconditional apology from the Principal Secretary, the Home Secretary and the state police chief. — (PTI)
