Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Maharashtra’s Parbhani on Monday to meet the kin of two persons who died following violence that occurred earlier this month.
According to the schedule shared by Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Gandhi will meet the families of Ambedkarites Somnath Suryavanshi, who allegedly died in police custody, and Vijay Wakode, who died while participating in the protest, PTI reported.
Violence was reported in Parbhani after a glass-enclosed replica of the Constitution near Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statue outside the railway station in the city was vandalised on the evening of December 10.
However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently stated in the Assembly that Suryavanshi had told a magistrate that he was not tortured. Additionally, CCTV footage does not provide any evidence of brutality.
Gandhi’s visit to the violence-hit region was dubbed as ‘drama’ by the state wing of BJP. “Instead of doing such drama, the focus should be on how the society can be benefited through constructive means. The BJP and the state government are committed to keeping the society and all communities united,” he told reporters.
Delhi cops may record statements of ‘injured’ MPs
The Delhi Police Crime Branch will likely record the statements of two MPs, who have been admitted to RML hospital following their scuffle in Parliament, on December 23, sources said last week.
Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput got injured on Thursday following a scuffle between the Opposition and ruling BJP MPs on the premises of the Parliament.
On Thursday, an FIR was registered against Rahul Gandhi at the Parliament Street Police Station in connection with the case following a complaint.
“The Crime Branch got the case on Friday and a dedicated team led by a DCP has been tasked to study the matter to start the probe,” a police source said.
The police team will wait for an update on the medical condition of the two MPs on Sunday and may go to the hospital to record their statements on Monday, the source said.
The source said the crime branch will also approach the Parliament secretariat to access the CCTV footage of the incident.
On Thursday, BJP MP Hemang Joshi, accompanied by party colleagues Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj, visited the Parliament Street Police Station and filed the complaint.
The Congress strongly rejected the claim, alleging that BJP MPs pushed Kharge and “physically manhandled” Gandhi.
Nitish to commence Pragati Yatra
The Bihar government on Tuesday announced that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will embark on a state-wide tour from next week, with a view to reviewing the progress made in different parts of the region.
According to a communication issued by the Cabinet secretariat, the Pragati Yatra will commence from Valmiki Nagar, a remote town in West Champaran district and located along the India-Nepal border, on Monday.
The development evoked a caustic statement from Tejashwi Yadav, Kumar’s former deputy and the current leader of the opposition, who alleged that the longest-serving CM had grown “mentally unstable” and was, therefore, “frequently changing the name of his programmes”.
The allusion was to the ‘Mahila Samvad Yatra’ which was to begin this month and, according to Yadav, it would have cost more than Rs 225 crore to the state exchequer.
Officials maintained that the ‘Mahila Samvad Yatra’, aimed at showcasing the government’s efforts at empowering women, who have since been the most loyal voters of the JD(U) supremo, was still under consideration.
The ‘Pragati Yatra’ will cover the districts of East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar and Muzaffarpur before its “first leg” concludes on December 28 at Vaishali.
It will be marked by “tour of the area for inspection of schemes” and “district level review meetings with officials”, with ministers concerned expected to be in attendance.
– With PTI inputs
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