VIJAYAWADA: Backing the demand for special category status for AP, Nizamabad MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha described it as just and said she would join the people of AP for securing it.
In an interview with Express, Kavitha, the only woman MP from the State of Telangana, expressed happiness over her visit to Amaravati region for the first time after the division of the State. "I like the city, especially Prakasam Barrage, and the clean riverfront where I clicked few pictures. The city is growing rapidly and it’s visible. The traffic, too, has multiplied in the recent times," she added.
She said she supported the Special Category Status demand of AP and advised the State leaders to not to compromise on the demand. “During the elections, BJP promised Special Status to AP. Venkaiah Naidu, Chandrababu Naidu and even Pawan Kalyan assured it. Now, it is their responsibility to make sure that the State gets it,” she said.
Referring to the road map for Telangana development, she said nothing was more important to her and the TRS than ensuring a Telangana where people lived with dignity and comfort. “Development of Telangana is more important to me than anything else. To achieve the same, we will support any person, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As of now, we are happy with the welfare schemes being implemented in our State and everything is going in right direction,” she said.
Regarding the National Women’s Parliament, Kavitha said that more meetings and events like this would bring about a change in the society and also give moral boost to women. “As we have a woman Speaker, we are having ease in discussing
women empowerment in Parliament. Women should have decision-making powers to bring about reforms in society. Women constitute only 11 per cent of MPs and we want the number to go up substantially. I strongly believe we need 50 per cent reservation rather than 33 per cent for women.”
When asked about women safety, she stated that it is the prime concern in the country and felt that the governments should implement safety policies for them.
Earlier, Kavitha at Women's Parliament began her speech with slogan ‘Jai Andhra Pradesh’ and ended it with ‘Jai Telangana, Jai Andhra Pradesh and Jai Hind’, drawing a huge applause from the audience.
She pointed out that women from south India enjoyed more freedom than those in the north. “We are much better off in development, education and safety when compared to women in north India. Only six per cent of the startups are owned by women in India and the governments should come up with new taxation policies and schemes to encourage women entrepreneurs,” she summed up.