Hyderabad: Telangana Jagruthi president and BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Tuesday announced a 72-hour hunger strike, demanding early implementation of 42% reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies, as well as education and employment. Speaking at a media conference along with leaders of United Phule Front and BC organizations at Somajiguda Press Club , she stated that the hunger strike would take place at Dharna Chowk, Indira Park, between 11am on Aug 4 and 11am on Aug 7.Kavitha said that due to the efforts of Telangana Jagruthi and UPF, the state govt introduced and passed two separate bills for BC reservations in the assembly and council. She noted that the state govt had promised to take an all-party delegation to Delhi and put pressure on the central govt, but has not made any such effort so far. Accusing the Congress govt of merely resorting to rhetoric without taking any concrete steps to get the bill cleared by President Droupadi Murmu, she criticized that the previous dharna by the Congress leaders in Delhi was ignored even by their own leader Rahul Gandhi. She accused Congress of planning another dharna in Delhi for political gains in Bihar elections mainly to deceive the BC community.Referring to the state govt claims that it would conduct elections to local bodies by Sept 30 as per the high court’s directive, she emphasized that increasing BC reservation quota was as crucial as holding elections as per the deadline. She questioned why the state govt had not pursued legal action if the President did not approve the bills passed by the assembly for more than three months. Likewise, the governor has not approved the ordinance cleared by the state cabinet. She cited Tamil Nadu’s example, where the state govt fought legally to secure higher reservation, and asked why Telangana was not following the same.
