K Kavitha on day-long hunger strike in Delhi demanding Women's Reservation Bill

Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC and Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter K Kavitha on Friday launched a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in the national capital demanding the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill in the current Budget session of Parliament.

Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) General Secretary is also present at the protest.

The sit-in dharna at Jantar Mantar is being attended by opposition parties and women organisations who have supported the Women's Reservation Bill from across India.

While addressing a gathering, Kavitha said this Bill will help in the development of the nation and requested the central government to introduce the Bill in Parliament.

"Women's Reservation bill is important and we need to bring it soon. I promise all women this protest will not stop until the bill is introduced. This Bill will help in the development of the nation. I request the BJP-led central government to introduce this Bill in parliament," she said.

She also thanked the BRS party leaders and cadre for extending their support to this protest."

Empowering women in the legislative discourse cannot be demanded, it must be guaranteed particularly by the Government. I thank BRS party leaders and cadre for extending their support to this protest," the Telangana leader said in a tweet.

The protest will also witness programs like plays and songs.Earlier on Thursday said that 18 parties have confirmed their participation in the protest.The BRS leader's hunger strike comes a day before her questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam."We released a poster on March 2 about the hunger strike in Delhi over the Women's Reservation Bill. 18 parties confirmed their participation...ED summoned me on March 9. I requested for March 16 but don't know what haste they're in, so I agreed for March 11."

"When an agency wants to interrogate a woman, she has a fundamental right that it be done at her home," she stated.

"So, I requested ED that they can come to my house on 11th March to investigate but they said that I will have to come to them," the BRS leader said.

Kavitha arrived in Delhi on Thursday and said that she will be appearing before the Enforcement Directorate on March 11.On March 8, the BRS came down heavily on the Centre after the ED summoned Kavitha in connection with its ongoing probe of the Delhi excise policy case, saying that the central probe agencies have become an extended arm of the BJP.

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Referring to the summons as "politically motivated", BRS leader Ravula Sridhar Reddy had said that except ED and BJP, nobody really understands the case registered in connection with the new-withdrawn new Delhi excise policy.