K. Kavitha to Launch 72-Hour Hunger Strike Over Demand for 42 Percent BC Reservation

DOWNLOAD IPFS

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Member of Legislative Council and Telangana Jagruthi president K. Kavitha has announced that she will stage a 72-hour hunger strike from August 4 to 6. The protest aims to demand the immediate implementation of a 42 percent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in Telangana across education, employment, and local governance.

Kavitha announced this during a press conference at the Somajiguda Press Club in Hyderabad. Flanked by members of the United Phule Front and other BC rights organisations, she declared that the hunger strike will take place at Dharna Chowk, Indira Park. The strike will begin at 11 a.m. on August 4 and conclude at 11 a.m. on August 7.

She called on both the Telangana state government and the central government to act promptly on two key bills passed by the state legislature, which seek to increase reservation quotas for BCs to 42 percent. Kavitha demanded that the state follow the legal precedent set by Tamil Nadu, where similar bills were taken to the Supreme Court for clearance after delay by the governor.

Kavitha criticised the ruling Congress government in Telangana for its inaction, alleging that both Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were deliberately obstructing the implementation of the reservation bills. She accused them of engaging in symbolic gestures without addressing the core issue of BC representation.

In response, Congress leaders Adi Srinivas and Birla Illaiah dismissed the hunger strike as a political distraction. They urged Kavitha to take her protest to Delhi and confront the BJP-led central government directly if she truly wanted to support BC communities.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has also taken up the issue, leading efforts in New Delhi to secure presidential assent for the reservation bills. He is working to mobilise opposition support in Parliament to push the proposal forward ahead of upcoming local body elections. The Telangana High Court has directed that these elections be held by September 30.

The proposed reservation structure includes 42 percent for BCs, 18 percent for Scheduled Castes, and 10 percent for Scheduled Tribes. This brings the total to 70 percent, which exceeds the 50 percent cap set by the Supreme Court. As a result, the implementation of the bills requires approval from the central government and possibly a constitutional amendment.

Kavitha warned that if the quota is not enforced before local elections, it will compromise fair representation and social justice. She stated that the fight is not just political but a question of equal rights for BC communities.

With the protest set to begin next week, political tensions are rising in Telangana as parties position themselves ahead of local elections and the upcoming parliamentary session. Whether the hunger strike will pressure authorities into action remains to be seen.