'Rail Roko' protest in Telangana on July 17 to demand reservation for OBCs K Kavitha

    New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Telangana Jagruthi president K Kavitha on Tuesday announced that a 'Rail Roko' protest will be held in Telangana on July 17, demanding 42 per cent reservation for OBCs, bills for which were passed by the state assembly earlier this year.
    At a press conference here, 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, a Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader, 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.
    Kavitha said the Congress government in Telangana can implement reservation in local bodies through an order under Article 243D of the Constitution.
    Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi should tell Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to implement the reservation as promised by his party before the assembly polls, she said.
    "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.
    Holding up a coat pocket edition of the Indian Constitution, which Gandhi and other opposition leaders are often seen carrying, she said, "Rahul Gandhi ji goes around the country with this copy of the Constitution, which has Article 243D. If he wants, he can call the chief minister and ask him to issue an order and 42 per cent reservation can be given to OBCs in local bodies."
    "I want to gift this to Rahul Gandhi ji, and request him to read Article 243D," she added.
    Kavitha further 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.
    Asked about the Telangana caste survey being called a "model for the caste census" by Gandhi, Kavitha alleged that the exercise was "flawed".
    "The survey done by the Telangana government was not very transparent. There are many discrepancies, but despite that 42 per cent has been promised in the elections, and OBCs of Telangana have made peace with that fact right now," she said.
    "We will agree with 42 per cent reservation. But later on, once the caste enumeration has been done, we will also fight for our rightful share, which is more than 52 per cent," she said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)