Women's Reservation Bill: 18 parties to join BRS leader Kavitha's hunger strike tomorrow

BRS leader K. Kavitha, who is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi excise policy case, is gearing up for a political show of strength in Delhi.

She is set to hold a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Friday, seeking the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Kavitha said 18 political parties will participate in the protest.

She urged President Draupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the passage of the Bill. She also complimented Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for having backed the Bill.

Kavitha, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter, is set to appear before the ED for questioning on March 11, in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy.

She asserted that she has done nothing wrong and alleged that the Centre was 'using' the ED as the BJP could not gain a backdoor entry in Telangana. During the interrogation, Kavitha might be confronted with Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandran Pillai, an alleged frontman of the "south group", who was arrested by the ED on Monday.

The BRS leader was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in this case earlier.

Kavitha's brother and Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao also lashed out at the Union government on Thursday, and said these are “not ED summons, but Modi summons”.

It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers, who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The policy was later scrapped and the Delhi Lt Governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case.