Opposition unity gaining strength, SP with us: Congress
New Delhi, June 14: Though Congress President Rahul Gandhi's Iftar party was not attended by many heavyweight opposition leaders, the party said the "opposition unity was gaining strength" and many leaders could not come as they were in their state capitals.
Congress leader Rajeev Shukla told reporters: "Samajwadi Party not attending the Iftar doesn't mean they boycotted it. They could not come maybe because they didn't have any leader in Delhi now. SP is also with us in opposition unity."
He was responding to the BJP's attack on Gandhi of not having acceptance of prominent opposition leaders.
"The representation of all the parties was important in the Iftar party. Most of the people of the opposition had come to the Iftar party. The leaders of some parties were in their state capitals hence they had sent their representatives. It was important for them participate in the Iftar," Shukla told reporters.
"The leaders who were in Delhi came. Those who were not there, their representatives came. So BJP's remark doesn't hold water," he added.
"Opposition unity is gaining strength, whether it was the display of unity during the oath-taking ceremony in Karnataka or yesterday's (Wednesday) Iftar party where most of the parties were present.
"One or two parties could not come for some reason, but their support is entirely with the opposition unity," he said.
Gandhi's Iftar party was not attended by prominent opposition leaders like H.D. Deve Gowda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Even Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, who was believed to have been invited, did not attend.
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FIR against 15 seniors after death of MBBS student due to ragging in Gujarat
Patan (Gujarat) (PTI): Police have registered an FIR against 15 students of a medical college in Gujarat's Patan district following the death of an 18-year-old student who was allegedly ragged by them, officials said on Monday.
The accused, all second-year MBBS students, allegedly made some juniors, including the victim, stand in a hostel room for more than three hours on Saturday night and subjected them to "mental and physical torture," as per the First Information Report (FIR).
They have booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offences, the FIR said.
The accused students have been suspended from their hostel and academic activities until further orders, said officials from the GMERS Medical College and Hospital at Dharpur in Patan.
The victim, Anil Methaniya, a first-year MBBS student, fell unconscious and died allegedly after being made to stand for three hours during ragging by his seniors at a hostel of the college on Saturday night, the college dean, Dr Hardik Shah, said on Sunday.
The college's anti-ragging committee chaired by Dr Shah took the statements of 26 students -- 11 of the first-year and 15 second-year students.
The committee found that 11 first-year students were subjected to ragging by a group of 15 second-year students, a college official said on Monday.
As per the FIR lodged at Balisana police station shortly after midnight on Monday, the 15 accused called 11 first-year students, including Methaniya and his classmates, to a hostel room on Saturday night for "introduction".
They made the juniors stand for nearly three-and-a half hours while forcing them to sing and dance, utter abusive words and not leave the room.
Methaniya's health deteriorated as the students were subjected to mental and physical torture. The victim fainted and fell down at around midnight. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the FIR stated.
Based on a complaint by the college's additional dean Dr Anil Bhathija, the FIR was lodged against 15 students under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, and using obscene words.
