There was no effect on traffic, offices both government and private businesses functioned throughout the day, factories, automobile repairs units, Schools and Colleges remained open. The shops were the only affected establishment that too partially. It is perhaps for the first time that various organisation of traders issued appeals asking their members to keep their shops open. The organisations themselves spent handsome amount on advertisements which were published in newspapers. The appeal of trader's organisations has effect with the result that most of the business establishments remained open barring some two to three hours in the morning. By one , the markets became normal.

Most of the shops in the new and old parts of Bhopal remained open throughout the day and the ones which did keep them closed in the morning, were back in business by the noon.

The day-long statewide bandh began with AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and PCC chief Arun Yadav demanding Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s resignation over the Vyapam scam.

Yadav, along with Congress workers, reached Digvijay’s Shyamla Hills residence from where the duo started on a motorcycle and reached various city areas in support of the bandh call. Singh drove the motorcycle to some distance and later got into his four-wheeler.

The Congressmen also gave roses to people with a request to support the bandh. Heavy security was deployed in all major cities of the state to prevent any untoward incident.

On the other hand, from the BJP side, Mayor Alok Sharma, MLA Surendra Nath and others were out on the streets, convincing the people to say no to the bandh by keeping the shops “open”. Other BJP local leaders followed the same line. Many businessmen wondered why the Congress had called for bandh on the eve of Eid, hitting their business. In some colonies, businessmen kept their shops closed till 3.00 PM. However, vegetable vendors had opened their stalls. Some businessmen put up posters against the bandh at some places in the busy Chowk bazaar of Bhopal and also placed advertisements in newspapers to protest the closure call. Chowk Bazar is the bastion of Mayor Alok Sharma who left no stone unturned in nullifying the bandh impact. The CBI had, on Wednesday, registered FIRs and formally launched its probe in the high-profile Vyapam scam.

In MP Nagar, another major business centers of Bhopal, Congress leader Ishwar Singh Chauhan and MLA Surendra Nath came face to face during bandh. Ishwar Singh Chauhan was convincing the businessmen to close the shops in protest against Vyapam scam. In the meantime, MLA Surendra Nath reached there and asked the businessmen not to pay heed to the bandh call. There were heated arguments between both the leaders over the scam and the bandh with the businessmen as audience.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee has claimed its state-wide bandh call evoked huge response from the public and traders across the State even as the party said that the BJP government misused official government machinery to pressurise businessmen to keep their establishments open. MPCC president Arun Yadav told media persons that despite the government’s efforts to make the Congress-sponsored bandh unsuccessful, it got more-than-expected response. “Even people not keeping their business closed., supported the Congress party’s demand to protest by sporting black band,” he said. Several Congress workers faced police action in Jabalpur, Mandsaur, Indore and Bhopal and were arrested. He said, the party would now target the government in the legislative assembly and in Parliament in the coming sessions. Leader of the Opposition Satyadev Katare said, Congress Legislative Party would soon meet to decide its strategy on Vyapam scam for the coming Assembly session.

Besides weak organisation of the Congress several other factors were responsible for the failure of the bandh. The first cause was the timing. The bandh was observed on July 16 that is only two days before the Eid. While Bohras celebrated Eid on July 17 and other Muslims were expected to observe Eid on July 18 subject to the sighting of moon. The Eid is the most important festival of Muslims. Traders do brisk business on the eve of Eid. The bulk of traders who might have normally sided with the Congress ,were too unhappy over the choice of July 16.

Besides business community, another factor for the failure of bandh was Congress failure to get active support of Muslims for the success of bandh. Month long fasting has negative impact on physical strength of Muslims. Normally no major event requiring mass participants is planned during month of Ramzan. There is concrete evidence that Muslims did not contribute for the success of bandh. The only Congress MLA (infact the only Muslim MLA in the MP Assembly) kept himself indoors as from the beginning ,he was against the choice of date.

State government and the ruling BJP formulated a foolproof strategy to ensure failure of the bandh. Besides on the organisational front .the state cabinet held several sittings to consider various steps to launch counter-offensive on the Congress.

The government and the ruling BJP felt emboldened by the directions issued by the High Court for the orderly and peaceful observance of bandh. The High Court made it clear that the Congress will have to compensate for the losses which may be caused to the government property during the bandh.

The High Court was approached by some persons with the prayer that the Congress should be asked to desist from observing MP bandh. After hearing arguments by the Lawyers of the petitioners, the High Court issued some important directions while allowing Congress to hold state-wide bandh on July 16. The High Court also imposed some conditions for the observance of the bandh.

The court order came during a joint hearing of the three petitions opposing the bandh call. Petitioners Amit Sahu, Pankaj Raj and Sudhanshu Gupta had filed separate petitions.

The court also served customary notices to Congress leaders Mohan Prakash and Arun Yadav, the state government, the director general of police and the state home department.

The petitioners had demanded that there should be no road blockades and no forcible closure of educational institutions, markets, among others.

The petitioners' counsels JK Pillai and Aditya Khandekar argued the state machinery be directed to ensure that there shall be no obstruction to the movement of traffic. (IPA Service)