Hyderabad: Telangana Jagruthi president and MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha launched a 72-hour hunger strike on Monday, demanding 42% BC quota in local body elections. She described the agitation as a self-respect movement, not a political stunt.
Speaking at the protest site, Kavitha said Telangana emerged to uplift backward and marginalised communities. She directly blamed both the BJP and Congress for blocking BC reservation. “More than half the population is BC. They deserve constitutional justice,” she said.
Kavitha pointed to her organisation’s long-standing role in championing BC rights. Telangana Jagruthi, she noted, had helped drive the quota bill through the Assembly. She also urged the Congress-led government to clarify its proposed 10% Muslim quota and to treat it separately from BC reservations.
Citing Tamil Nadu’s nine-year freeze on local body polls until BC quotas were implemented, she warned Telangana could take the same route. “Let elections wait. BC rights must come first,” she said.
She slammed the state for refusing protest clearance at Dharna Chowk. Despite the denial, she pledged to continue the fast at home, in hospital, or even in custody. “Even if I’m moved, I’ll continue the fast wherever I’m taken,” she said.
Kavitha further warned that she would escalate the protest to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar if the Centre fails to ratify the Assembly-passed quota bills. She accused the BJP of withholding central approval and said Congress was avoiding responsibility.
A petition submitted to the Assembly demanded legal backing for the 42% BC quota under the Kamareddy Declaration. Kavitha echoed the call, urging BC communities to unite, ignore political distractions, and fight jointly for their rights.
LIVE: 42% బీసీ రిజర్వేషన్ల సాధన కోసం 72 గంటల నిరాహార దీక్ష, ధర్నా చౌక్#TelanganaBCbill https://t.co/s8QnGIC6mi
— Kavitha Kalvakuntla (@RaoKavitha) August 4, 2025
