Women's Reservation Bill: Kavitha Leads Opposition Protest In Delhi

BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Friday staged a day-long hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill in the current Budget session of Parliament.

While the Congress stayed away from the protest, leaders from several other opposition parties, including Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal, Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, National Conference, Janata Dal (United), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal, expressed their support. BRS leaders said that a total of 18 political parties had extended their support to the protest.

The inaugural session was attended by senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury. Sanjay Singh from AAP, Naresh Gujral from Shiromani Akali Dal, CPI(M) leader Narayana, Seema Malik from NCP, Puja Shukla from Samajwadi Party, and Supreme Court senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Prashanth Bhushan also joined the protest.

The show of support for the BRS protest comes a day before Kavitha's impending meeting with the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case.

Telangana women ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy and Satyavathi Rathod, other women leaders from the BRS, and BRS MPs led by K Keshava Rao also were present in the hunger strike.