Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha
Credit: PTI File Photo
Hyderabad: The battle for leadership within Telangana's opposition party BRS has intensified dramatically, with party patriarch K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter, MLC K Kavitha, asserting that she would not accept any leadership other than her father's.
In a dramatic turn of events on Thursday, she dropped a bombshell by claiming that certain factions within the party are actively working to merge BRS with the BJP. Kavitha also took a sharp jibe at her brother, former minister K T Rama Rao, without naming him directly, suggesting that "the party cannot be run on Twitter."
This pointed reference aligns with frequent criticism of KTR by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and BJP leaders like Bandi Sanjay, who mockingly call him "Twitter Tillu" due to his active social media presence.
High drama has engulfed BRS ever since a letter Kavitha wrote to her father was leaked last week. During an informal interaction with media on Thursday, Kavitha declared that she would not allow BRS to merge with the BJP, setting the stage for a potential internal party conflict.
Kavitha alleged that there is a conspiracy to create a wedge between her and her father KCR. She questioned why she would abandon her father and party, urging people to consider who would benefit if she were distanced from the party leadership. She stated categorically that she won't work under anyone's leadership and that KCR remains her only leader.
She also dismissed speculations about floating a new party. "Why a new party? It's enough to take good care of the existing party," she said, expressing confidence that KCR will become Chief Minister again without any doubt.
"I believe that certain leaders within the party want BRS to merge with BJP. The merger proposal even reached me while I was in jail, and I completely opposed it. At that time, I said I was ready to remain in jail but would not allow the party to merge. My opinion is that BRS should remain independent to safeguard Telangana's interests. Who has the authority to send me out of the party? No one can do that. When asked to expose those who leaked my letter, they are showing prowess against me like Greek heroes. We should be speaking against Congress and BJP, but how can they attack me instead? It's completely false that I spoke with Congress. In BRS, only KCR is my leader. I will work only under KCR's leadership. There is protocol and respect that should be accorded to the Working President," Kavitha said.
The former Nizamabad MP also alleged that internal party forces were behind her defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kavitha expressed anguish that despite facing a defamation campaign, the party failed to respond adequately. She questioned how party members could fight against her by establishing IT cells outside the country, asking how they could show prowess against her when they couldn't catch actual wrongdoers.
She criticised the party's response to notices served to KCR by the Kaleshwaram commission, questioning how they could simply post on social media platform X and leave it at that. "The party belongs to everyone, and results will come only if everyone fights together," she said, suggesting that KCR has done nothing wrong and that those working under him should reflect on their actions.
"How did the feedback I gave internally get leaked? When asked to maintain control, they criticize me on paid social media platforms. Is it decent to speak disparagingly about a daughter of the house?" Kavitha questioned.
"When the liquor case emerged, I offered to resign, but KCR prevented it. When I contested as MP, party leaders conspired to defeat me. KCR then gave me the MLC position in the same district, citing protocol requirements. I have never begged for positions. I worked like a soldier in the movement, even with a child in my womb. What programmes have the leaders criticising me accomplished except being under KCR's shadow?" Kavitha demanded that the party reveal the person who leaked her letter to her father.
"KCR received notices from the Kaleshwaram commission, but there is no comprehensive action plan to organize state-wide protests against these notices. Instead, some leaders are preaching morals to me. I am asking the party where is the action plan for protests?" she asked.
She alleged that paid social media operatives are attacking and targeting her while the party remains silent and unresponsive to these coordinated efforts.