Medak (Telangana) [India], June 17 : Telangana Jagruthi President and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha on Tuesday announced a statewide Rail Roko agitation to be held on July 17 in demand of the Central government approving the Backward Classes (BCs) reservation bills passed by the Telangana Legislative Assembly, a PRO statement said.
Addressing a round table meeting organised jointly by Telangana Jagruthi and the United Phule Front in Medak, MLC Kavitha said the protest will demonstrate the political strength and unity of the BC communities in Telangana.
"This Rail Roko will not just be a protest but a declaration of Telangana BCs' strength to the rulers in Delhi. We will take all BC organisations and leaders together in this protest," she said, warning the Centre of growing unrest over the delay in approving the bills that seek 42 per cent reservations for BCs in local bodies, education, and government employment, as per the PRO.
Kavitha strongly criticised both the Congress-led state government and the BJP-led Central government for what she described as deliberate inaction and apathy regarding the implementation of the reservation policy.
She accused the Congress government in Telangana of attempting to go ahead with local body elections without implementing the 42 per cent BC reservations.
"We will not allow elections without these reservations. The Congress government has merely sent the bills to the Centre and washed its hands of the responsibility," she said, questioning why the state government is not intensifying its efforts to ensure the President's approval.
MLC Kavitha also raised the issue of lack of political representation for several BC communities and reiterated the need for a sub-quota for BC women within the broader women's reservation.
Targeting Medak BJP MP Raghunandan Rao, Kavitha asked why he had remained silent on the issue.
"Why has Raghunandan Rao remained silent on the issue? Everyone should question him and the BJP-led central government on why the BC reservation bills are not being approved," she said.
Earlier in March, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an appointment to discuss two bills passed by the Telangana Legislative Assembly that proposed 42 per cent reservation for backwards classes in education, jobs, and local bodies.
He also suggested a meeting with leaders from various political parties in Telangana, including Congress, BRS, BJP, AIMIM, and CPI, to seek the central government's support for these bills.