'Rail Roko' protest in Telangana on July 17 for OBC reservation – ‘not a single train will move,' says K Kavitha
Kavitha, who is the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, warned that 'not a single train will move' during the rail roko protest.
At a press conference on July 8, Kavitha cornered the Congress-led Telangana government over the pending clearance for a bill to provide 42 per cent reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state.
She also claimed that the caste survey done in the state was "flawed".
The Telangana Legislative Assembly passed two bills on March 17 to increase BC reservation from 23 per cent to 42 per cent in educational institutions, employment and elections to rural and urban local bodies.
The bills – the Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in educational institutions and of appointments or posts in services under the State) Bill 2025 and the Telangana Backward Classes (Reservation of seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill 2025 -- require the Centre's approval as the proposed BC reservation would exceed the 50 per cent cap on quotas.
Kavitha, said a 'Rail Roko' protest will be held in Telangana on July 17 to demand reservation for OBCs.
"To make sure that the Union government understands the pain of the OBCs of Telangana, we will stop the trains in the state on July 17... It will only be a one day 'Rail Roko' this time. If our demand is not fulfilled, we will not go back and we can hold an indefinite 'Rail Roko' in future," she said.
'We won't allow even a single train to move.'
Kavitha said the Congress government in Telangana can implement reservation in local bodies through an order under Article 243D of the Constitution.
Kavitha urged the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the bill is approved. "Now, with honourable prime minister ji, I request him that you are from the OBC community, you should stand with the OBCs of Telangana. Today there is a historic occasion for giving 42 per cent reservation to Telangana OBCs," she said.
"The Bill is with the President of India, it should be given assent. The Bill should be given assurance by putting it in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, so that reservations will be preserved," she said.
The Ninth Schedule of the Constitution includes a list of central and state laws that cannot be challenged in courts.
Kavitha said a permanent solution is either an act of Parliament, or an amendment to the Constitution.
To make sure that the Union government understands the pain of the OBCs of Telangana, we will stop the trains in the state on July 17... It will only be a one day 'Rail Roko' this time.
She also asked Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to tell Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to implement the reservation as promised by his party before the assembly polls.
"Today, there is a very serious possibility that the OBC 42 per cent reservation bill can be implemented in Telangana. The local body elections can be held anytime now. So I demand Rahul Gandhi ji to quickly call his chief minister (Revanth Reddy), ask him to issue a government order, and then go for the local body elections because the bill has already been passed in the state," Kavitha told PTI.
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