Kavitha to sit on hunger strike tomorrow for Phule's statue in Assembly

Hyderabad, April 7 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC and Telangana Jagruthi President K. Kavitha will stage a day-long hunger strike in Hyderabad on Tuesday to demand the installation of social reformer Jyotirao Phule’s statue in the Telangana Assembly.

Kavitha will sit on the hunger strike at Dharna Chowk, Indira Park, to press the demand immediate installation of the statue.

The hunger strike will begin at 11 a.m. and will continue till 5 p.m.

Leaders from the Telangana Jagruthi and the United Phule Front on Monday inspected the arrangements at the protest site.

Kavitha had earlier urged Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar and the state government to ensure the installation of the statue ahead of Phule’s birth anniversary on April 11. With no action taken so far, she is set to lead the protest to honour Phule’s legacy and his contributions to social justice.

United Phule Front (UPF) Convenor Bolla Shiva Shankar said the state government should make an announcement about the installation of Phule’s statue before Phule’s birth anniversary.

He said that if the state government failed to meet their demand, they would intensify the agitation under the leadership of Kavitha.

"Jyotirao Phule is a symbol of the self-respect of backward classes, and if the government continues to ignore him, we will not tolerate it," he said.

Shiva Shankar appealed to people to participate in Tuesday’s programmes in large numbers.

He said that round-table meetings were held in the district on the issues faced by the backward classes.

Kavitha launched and led a movement for the rights of backward classes. The sustained political campaign included 14 roundtable meetings across Telangana.

The MLC conducted extensive consultations across districts in Telangana to amplify BC concerns and demanded the implementation of the Kamareddy BC Declaration made by the Congress during the Assembly elections.

Kavitha has also been at the forefront of demanding the implementation of 42 per cent reservations for BCs in the state.

The state government has introduced two separate bills in the Assembly to provide 42 per cent reservations for BCs in politics, employment, and education.

--IANS

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