Protect reservation for women: Kavitha asks Revanth

Will ensure defeat of Arvind Dharmapuri wherever he contests, says BRS MLC

BRS MLC K Kavitha addresses a press conference on women’s reservation issue in Hyderabad on March 7

Member of Telangana Legislative Council Kalvakuntla Kavitha has ridiculed the government’s claims of protecting democratic rights and free speech saying the police is yet to permit her peaceful protest against GO No 3 linked to women’s reservations in Telangana.

“While Chief Minister Revanth Reddy waxes eloquent on democratic protests the police is denying permission for my peaceful protest,” she said demanding changes to GO No 3, which she said would be detrimental to the interests of women in employment in Telangana.

The GO is related to Government’s decision to follow a court order to implement the horizontal reservation of 33.33% for women without considering the roster point system.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ms. Kavitha expressed concern over curtailed opportunities for women in employment due to GO No 3. This GO doesn’t allow posts to be identified specifically for women as per the roster system. She cited how women candidates lost out in the recruitment of Gurukul jobs, where only 12% of the positions were allocated to women. Out of 626 jobs only 77 were designated for women.

She said the number of women students was increasing rapidly at the higher education level. In Osmania University more than 70% of admitted students this year were female candidates. She said the government should challenge the High Court order to ensure better opportunities for women.

Will Defeat Arvind

Ms. Kavitha said Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao will decide on selection of candidates for the Parliament elections and he has to decided whether she would contest from Nizamabad. However, she vowed to defeat BJP’s Arvind Dharmapuri from wherever he would contest.

“I have defeated him in Korutla in the Assembly elections and he would be defeated in Nizamabad too,” she said irrespective of her being in the fray.

Nothing in Liquor case

She made light of the Delhi Liquor policy case, where she has been made one of the accused party recently, and said it was being stretched like a soap opera.