Will Face ED, Have Done Nothing Wrong: K Kavitha

BRS MLC K Kavitha asserted that she had done nothing wrong, but would nevertheless cooperate with the ED, which has served her summons in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Kavitha alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had toppled many elected governments in the country and used backdoor entries to form governments in 9 States.

"They are unable to do it in Telangana, which is why they are using the ED now. But we are not afraid. We will face the Enforcement Directorate, as we have not done anything wrong. I urge PM Modi to instead reduce prices, and give more subsidies and jobs. What will you get by torturing people like us?" Kavitha asked.

She also said that she was determined to go through with her protest for the Women's Reservation Bill despite the ED summons.

"The Women's Reservation Bill is only a mere conversation in our country. After being introduced in 1996, it could never pass; 27 years have gone by and we are still only having a conversation. I will extend thanks to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for making earnest efforts to not only introduce but also convince parties to come together and pass the bill during the Congress's tenure. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee also tried to make it a reality but in vain," Kavitha said.

"The Modi government made a promise to make the Women's Reservation Bill a reality in its 2014 manifesto, but despite having 282 seats in the Lok Sabha, it kept quiet. The BJP made the same promise in its 2019 campaign again, but even after getting 303 members in the Lok Sabha, no leader talked about the bill. The intent was always missing from the party," she added.

"No attempts at diversion or intimidation will however work on us this time. We will go ahead with our hunger strike for achieving the bill," she said.

She requested the Prime Minister and President Droupadi Murmu to make the Women's Reservation Bill a reality since the BJP still had sessions left before the completion of its term. She added that if the BJP could clear the Aadhaar Bill by terming it a money bill to bypass the Rajya Sabha, it could surely deliver on its promise on this count, too.