MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha demanded that the State government take immediate steps for the installation of social reformer Jyotirao Phule’s statue on the premises of Assembly, reminding it that only 100 days remain until Phule’s Jayanti (birth anniversary).
Addressing a roundtable meeting organised under the aegis of Bharath Jagruthi and United Phule Front here on Monday, the BRS leader stated that the last caste census had been conducted in 1931, and demanded immediate action for a BC caste census, alleging that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had spoken against the appointment of the Mandal Commission.
She also alleged that the Congress government had prevented the disclosure of the report on the caste census conducted at a cost of ₹4,500 crore in 1996, questioning the commitment of the Congress party to the upliftment of BCs. She asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to disclose how many BC judges there were in the judicial machinery.
Reminding that there is a statue of Phule on the premises of Parliament in Delhi, she said, “What is wrong if Phule’s statue is installed on the premises of the Assembly?” Stating that the government in Andhra Pradesh is moving forward as planned by enacting a law, Kavitha demanded that local body elections be conducted only after finalising the reservations based on the caste census to be conducted. She also criticised the government for allocating only ₹8,000 crore in the budget for BC development, against the promise of ₹20,000 crore. She also demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy clarify his promises of creating a Most Backward Classes (MBC) Welfare department.
