BRS MLC Kavitha demands Congress withdraw GO 3 removing roster points in women’s reservation

Hyderabad: Accusing the Telangana Government of infringing on women’s rights, Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC Kavitha Kalvakuntla has demanded the Congress party to withdraw the recently released GO 3 providing 33.3 per cent of horizontal reservation for women without the security of roster points in job opportunities.

“OBC, SC and ST women will be treated with extreme injustice due to the Congress government’s decision,” she said in a press conference here on Monday.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has recently issued GO 3 providing 33.3 per cent horizontal reservation for women among OC, SEBC-A, SEBC-B, SEBC-C, SEBC-D, SEBC-E, EWS, SC, ST, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), ex-servicemen and meritorious athletes, in the matter of direct recruitment to the posts for which men and women are equally suited.

Kavitha writes to Sonia, Kharge

Kavitha demanded that the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) disclose their stand on the GO issued by the Revanth Reddy government. She has also written a letter to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on the issue.

“Telangana voters, particularly students, were instrumental in bringing Congress to power by casting high numbers of ballots and believing the promises made by the age-old party during the last election campaign. The Congress party devised a unique strategy that day to win over votes by facing several issues, including the deaths of Telangana women students in political movements,” Kavitha said and added women’s rights are being violated even after numerous movements and fights for rights and power.

‘Government unjustly replaced GOs 41 and 56’

The BRS MLC recalled that GOs 41 and 56 (issued in 1996), reserved 33.3 per cent of employment opportunities for women, as a consequence of numerous fights. Another significant aid was the 1992 ruling in the case of Indira Sawhni by the Supreme Court. Following that, women were granted constitutionally guaranteed horizontal reservation with roster points. In terms of social reservations, the nation rigorously enforces a 33 per cent reservation for women, she said.

Kavitha said that even though women are underrepresented in the workforce and cannot achieve educational requirements, they are still progressing despite losing years.

“The Congress government in Telangana has now repealed GOs 41 and 56 and introduced a new GO 3 on February 10. This was done in light of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court in the matter of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission,” she said.

The MLC further said that the previous State Government led by BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao filed a counter-application in January 2023 with the Telangana High Court, stating that they would not violate women’s rights even if they were ordered to carry out the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Rajasthan Public Service Commission case.

‘New GO will affect job chances for women’

However, on February 6, the State Government withdrew the case from the High Court, breaching women’s rights without first consulting anyone, following the election of the Congress government, she said and added that thus, the government has issued GO 3 to provide horizontal reservation without roster points, completely and permanently depriving women of their rights. “This will hinder employment opportunities of women,” she said.

Kavitha said that, for instance, this year around 2.50 lakh people have already registered on the TSPSC website. Among them one lakh are women.

“The Congress government is saying that they will give two lakh jobs this year. It means that according to the 33.3 per cent reservation, at least 66,000 girls should get jobs and additionally, more women should get jobs,” she said. Bihar and Karnataka have issued orders not to comply with the Supreme Court’s verdict. But in Telangana, the newly formed government was unfairly treating women. Revanth Reddy should intervene in this matter and immediately withdraw the issued GO, the BRS MLC added.