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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Telangana first state to implement SC categorisation, issues orders
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana on Monday issued a government order on the implementation of Scheduled Castes (SC) categorisation, making it the first state in the country to do so officially, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
Telangana government had earlier appointed a commission headed by retired High Court judge Justice Shameem Akther on SC categorisation, which made recommendations that the 59 Scheduled Caste (SC) communities be divided into three groups viz I, II, and III for the total reservations of 15 per cent in government jobs and education.
"The following Act of the Telangana Legislature received the assent of the Governor of Telangana on 8, April 2025 and the said assent is hereby first published on the 14th April 2025 in the Telangana Gazette for general information," the GO said.
The issuance of GO coincides with the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, architect of Indian Constitution.
According to the commission report, group-I one comprising 15 socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged SC communities, are given one per cent reservation.
Group-II, including 18 moderately benefited SC communities, are provided a nine per cent quota while the Group-III comprising 26 significantly benefited SC communities, are given five per cent reservation.
Addressing a press conference, Minister Reddy, who headed a sub-committee on SC Categorisation, said the first copy of the GO was given to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy this morning.
"From today, from this moment, SC categorisation will be implemented in Telangana in employment and education. We have issued a GO to that extent and gave the first copy to the CM," he told reporters.
"Telangana is the first state to implement the SC categorisation after the Supreme Court’s verdicts," Reddy said.
The minister alleged that earlier governments in Telangana confined themselves to pass resolutions for the categorisation and never took forward.
He further said all job vacancies in the state government now will be filled according to the sub-categorisation for SCs.
The Irrigation Minister further said the cabinet sub-committee did an extensive exercise in collecting the opinion of all the stakeholders.
He also said if the SC population goes up in 2026 census, the reservations for it would go up accordingly.
The Telangana Legislature in February accepted the recommendations of Justice Akther on SC categorisation, rejecting an advice that creamy layer should be exempted from reservations.
The Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservation) Bill, 2025 was passed last month. The Supreme Court gave a verdict last year in favour of categorisation.
