Telangana Lawmaker K Kavitha Suspended From BRS After Anti-Party Allegations.
Telangana legislator K Kavitha has been suspended from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the party led by her father and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), after she publicly accused senior BRS leader T Harish Rao, her cousin, of being behind the federal investigation into KCR.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, BRS leaders T Ravinder Rao and Soma Bharat Kumar said the action was taken due to “recent comments seen as anti-party.”
“Party leadership is taking this matter seriously as recent behaviour and ongoing anti-party activities of MLC K Kavitha are damaging the BRS,” the party said on X. “Therefore, party President K Chandrashekar Rao has decided to suspend K Kavitha with immediate effect.”
Supporters of Ms Kavitha quickly protested the move. Ravi Rathod, Youth Vice President of Telangana Jagruthi—a social and cultural organisation founded by Ms Kavitha during the statehood agitation—told ANI, “Injustice has been done.”
On Monday, Ms Kavitha had accused Harish Rao, who served as Irrigation Minister from 2014, and ex-Rajya Sabha MP J Santosh Kumar of colluding with Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to accumulate assets and tarnish KCR’s reputation.
“We have to think about why the taint of corruption came to KCR. Some who are close to KCR benefited in many ways by using his name,” she said, adding, “Did Harish Rao, who was Irrigation Minister for five years, not have a major role in this?” She also suggested Revanth Reddy was protecting Harish Rao and Santosh Kumar to target KCR.
Ms Kavitha asserted that her father would emerge “as pure as a pearl” from the CBI inquiry, expressing personal anguish at seeing him face the investigation. Her remarks followed the Congress-led Telangana government’s decision to hand over an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project to the CBI.
Notably, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR), Ms Kavitha’s brother, praised Harish Rao on the same day for his arguments on the PC Ghose Commission Report regarding Kaleshwaram.
Tensions between Ms Kavitha and her father’s party have simmered for some time. In July, KTR appointed Koppula Eashwar as the party’s in-charge for a major coal miners’ union, sidelining Ms Kavitha, who had previously served as its Honorary President.
The internal BRS conflict resurfaced in May when Ms Kavitha objected to a private letter she wrote to KCR being leaked, allegedly by someone close to KTR. In the letter, she referred to “conspiracies” within the party targeting KCR, saying, “KCR ji is a god. But, there are some devils around him. A lot of damage is being caused because of them. I am KCR’s daughter. If the letter became public, there should be a debate about the fate of others.”
Despite the tensions, Ms Kavitha has repeatedly stated she has “no differences” with KTR and maintains a “special relationship” with her brother.
She has also highlighted the patriarchal mindset in political parties, including BRS, in the context of the Women’s Reservation Bill, pointing out the lack of opportunities for women candidates within the party.
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