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Kavitha upset with BRS over MLC Mallana's remark
Mallana made the alleged derogatory comments on Kavitha during a public meeting in Sangareddy district on Saturday
Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) member of legislative council (MLC) and party president’s daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Monday slammed her family and party leaders’ cohort for their silence on the alleged derogatory comments made by prominent other backward classes (OBC) leader and member of the legislative council (MLC) Teenmaar Mallana against her.
“I don’t know the reason why the party or the family has not responded. I leave it to their wisdom. Their silence only exposes their stand towards me,” Kavitha said.
Mallana made the alleged derogatory comments on Kavitha during a public meeting in Sangareddy district on Saturday. Referring to the latter’s celebration of the cabinet ordinance, issued on July 10, which increased reservation in local bodies for other backward classes to 42%, he said, “Is there a pact over a plate? Is there a pact over a bed? What do you have to do with the benefits meant for backward classes? Are you even a backward class yourself?”
Following the comments, Kavitha’s supporters, allegedly affiliated to her cultural organisation Telangana Jagruthi, attacked Mallana’s office on Sunday, which led to his associates firing in the ai to disperse the protesters.
The top BRS leadership has not made any comments referring to or condemning either the comments or the subsequent incident of vandalism at Mallana’s office.
Neither KCR nor her brother KT Rama Rao, working president of the BRS, came out with a statement in support of Kavitha. Other leaders of the BRS have chosen to remain silent as well, as of the time of going to print.
Meanwhile, Telangana Jagruthi on Monday lodged a complaint with the state women’s commission over the comments as Mallanna defended the remarks, stating that there was nothing derogatory or sexist in them.
“I only used a common phrase used by the backward classes in Telangana rural areas. What does Kavitha, who hails from a feudal family, know about the rural dialect?” he said, while speaking to reporters after submitting a complaint seeking disqualification of the BRS leader to Telangana legislative council chairman Gutta Sukhender Reddy.
Mallanna accused Kavitha of attacking the OBC cause. “Though the BRS is no longer in power, her arrogance has not diminished,” he said.
While the BRS leadership remained tight-lipped, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Monday strongly condemned Mallanna’s comments against Kavitha.
“It is our tradition to respect women. His unsavoury comments against her, whatever context he was speaking in, are highly reprehensible,” he said.
At the same time, the PCC chief also condemned the attack on Mallanna’s office by Kavitha’s supporters.
“It is against the law. One has to register the protest within the purview of law. The government is inquiring into the incident of attack and the firing by Mallanna’s gunman,” Goud said.
Transport minister Ponnal Prabhakar in a press conference condemned the comments saying the Congress Party has a lot of respect for women.
The Malkajgiri police, under Rachakonda police commissionerate’s jurisdiction, registered a case against both Mallanna for his abusive remarks as well as the activists of Telangana Jagruti for the attack on Mallanna’s office on Sunday.
Based on a complaint that Mallanna and others attacked the activists of Telangana Jagruti with knives and firearms, outraged the modesty of the women and tried to kill them, the police booked a case against Mallanna and others under sections 191 (rioting), 76 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intention to disrobe), 127 (2) (wrongful confinement), 109 (attempt to murder), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation) r/w 190 (offences committed in common furtherance by unlawful assembly) of BNS.
Cases were also booked against the Telangana Jagruti activists under Sections 191,109, 351(3), 333 (house trespass), 324(4) (mischief) , 132 (assaulting or using criminal force against a public servant to deter them from performing their duty), r/w 190 and 49 (abetment of criminal act) of BNS. “Both complaints are being investigated,” the police said.
Meanwhile, Kavitha is terribly upset with lack of support from her family members or the BRS. A Telangana Jagruti leader reportedly close to Kavitha said, “It has definitely hurt her. But she is a person with strong will and determination. She will fight with her detractors single handedly.”
