Will Kavitha's Warning Lead to a Rail Roko Protest Over BC Reservations?

Hyderabad, July 8 (NationPress) The President of Telangana Jagruthi and BRS MLC, K Kavitha, issued a stern warning to the Central government on Tuesday, stating that no trains heading to Delhi from the South would be permitted to operate through Telangana if the bill for 42 percent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) is not approved.

Kavitha has called for a ‘Rail Roko’ protest on July 17, demanding that the President give assent to the BC reservation bill that was passed by the Telangana Assembly. During a press conference in the national capital, she threatened an indefinite ‘Rail Roko’ if the government fails to act.

“We won’t allow any train to operate. Trains from the Deccan to Delhi will be halted. This is just a preview. If the bill is not approved, we will initiate an indefinite Rail Roko. The 2.5 crore BC community in Telangana will make the BJP pay for their negligence,” she declared.

The BRS MLA accused both the BJP and the Congress of failing to support the BCs, adding that she would reach out to all political parties requesting their backing for the BC reservation implementation.

Kavitha claimed that the Congress-led administration had passed the BC reservation bill in the state Assembly and forwarded it to the President, effectively washing their hands of the issue.

She insisted that, as a temporary measure, the Revanth Reddy government in Telangana should issue a Government Order (GO) to enforce the increased reservations according to Article 243(D) of the Constitution.

Kavitha questioned why Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, who often carries a copy of the Constitution, has not advised the Telangana Chief Minister to issue such an order.

She further alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s concern for BCs only arose after the Congress lost power in 2014, pointing out that even Congress-ruled states like Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh have yet to conduct caste censuses.

Kavitha urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who identifies as an OBC, to ensure justice for BCs by facilitating the Presidential assent for the Telangana BC reservation bills. She proposed that the Telangana BC bill should be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, akin to Tamil Nadu’s 69 percent reservation policy.

Criticizing both the Congress and the BJP, Kavitha emphasized that both parties have consistently misled the BC communities and chastised the eight BJP MPs from Telangana for their silence on the matter.

Kavitha noted that the implementation of the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) quota has already exceeded reservation limits of 50 percent, with 16 states adopting reservations beyond this threshold. Thus, she argued that legal barriers to implementing 42 percent BC reservations in Telangana are unfounded.

She also pointed out discrepancies in the caste census conducted by the Congress government, noting that a comprehensive family survey in 2014 during the previous BRS administration indicated that BCs constitute 52 percent of the population, while newer surveys suggest the figure is only 46 percent.

Taking a jab at Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, she remarked that he spends more time in Delhi than in Telangana, quipping that he has already reached a 'half-century' in his visits to the capital.

Kavitha underscored that regional parties are more devoted to public welfare, citing leaders like Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, Naveen Patnaik in Odisha, and the late Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu as examples of effective governance focused on the welfare and progress of their constituents.