Kavitha On 3-Day Fast For 42% BC Reservations

BRS MLC and Telangana Jagruthi President K Kavitha today began a 72-hour hunger strike at Dharna Chowk, Indira Park, demanding that both the Central and the State governments provide 42% reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in Telangana.

On the occasion, she paid tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule and Professor Jayashankar.

A large number of BRS activists and Telangana Jagruthi members from across the State gathered at the protest site to express their solidarity with Kavitha.

Speaking to the media during the strike, Kavitha said that she would not consume even water, and that even if she were arrested and taken to a police station or sent home, she would persist with the hunger strike there.

"We must reflect on why so many people came to Indira Park and participated in this dharna. Everyone here has personal responsibilities, but they have set them aside for this cause. Everyone deserves political recognition. We are fasting to demand proper reservations for BCs, who make up nearly half of the population. This is not a political struggle; it is a struggle for the self-respect of BCs," she said.

"We undertook this 72-hour fast with Gandhiji's spirit of non-violence. We made political appeals, organised a round table meeting and voiced our demands, but the governments didn't listen. The State government introduced a bill but conveniently blamed the Centre. If CM Revanth Reddy truly cares about BCs, he should first announce separate reservations for Muslims. Then, let us jointly pressure the BJP leaders. The BJP and Congress are both misleading the public by blaming each other," she alleged.

She also claimed that the State government did not grant permission for the full 72-hour fast and instead asked them to end it by 4 pm. "Permission was granted for such fasts in the united Andhra Pradesh. Have you become worse than the Andhra government? We are approaching the court to seek permission for the 72-hour protest. It would be good if the government makes a positive decision before the legal battle begins," she said.

Kavitha also urged media support, and said, "The media must play a crucial role on the BC Bill. Among the four pillars of democracy, the media is the most powerful and has the right to question the other three. In Tamil Nadu, everyone united against the Centre, and they succeeded. We, too, must fight together."