BRS leader K Kavitha with her brother and party leader K T Rama Rao.
Credit: PTI photo
Hyderabad: High drama is unfolding within the opposition BRS in Telangana, with signs pointing to a potential sibling rivalry between party working president and former minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) and his sister, MLC Kavitha, both children of party patriarch and former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
The tension surfaced a day after Kavitha stated that their father, BRS supremo KCR, was surrounded by "demons" and "coverts" due to a leaked letter she had written.
Her brother KTR subsequently chided her without naming her directly, emphasizing that internal party issues should be discussed only within party forums.
Over recent days, Kavitha has been organising her own programmes under the slogan 'Samajika Telangana,' with notably sparse attendance from BRS cadres and leaders.
Following her release on bail from jail, Kavitha has been attempting to reposition herself in Telangana's political landscape and within the BRS, while her brother KTR has already cemented his position in the party founded by their father. Kavitha had spent over five months in Tihar jail for her alleged role in Delhi liquor scam.
Kavitha created a political stir on Friday by confirming that a letter circulating since Thursday had indeed been written by her to her father and BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao. In the six-page handwritten letter to KCR, she made pointed observations about the party's functioning and her father's leadership style, questioning his perceived "soft stance" toward the BJP as well as the issue of "selective access" to party leaders.
In the letter dated May 2, Kavitha urged the BRS supremo to convene a two-day plenary session to listen to grassroots voices and re-energize the cadre. "Kindly reach out to everyone," she advised KCR.
Notably, Kavitha began the letter by addressing the former chief minister informally as "Daddy," congratulating him on the success of the silver jubilee meeting held in Warangal on April 27.
Kavitha returned to Hyderabad on Friday after completing her US tour to attend her son's graduation. Speaking to media outside the airport, she provided clarification about the controversial letter.
"It's true that I wrote the letter. I wrote it two weeks ago. I have explained many times about the internal conspiracies happening in the party, yet no change was visible. That's why I had to convey it through a letter," she said.
Expressing dissatisfaction about the letter being leaked, she clarified, "The letters I wrote before never came out. I don't know how this letter got leaked. We need to find out who leaked it."
Alleging that conspiracies by certain party members are the root cause of problems, Kavitha added, "I don't have personal hatred against anyone, nor do I have a personal agenda. But one thing is true—our leader is KCR. KCR is my god. There are some demons and coverts around him who are causing huge damage to the party."
However, KTR on Saturday downplayed Kavitha's allegations. When asked about his response to Kavitha's remarks, KTR said coverts exist in every party and would be exposed in due course of time, adding that writing letters to party leadership was not unprecedented.
He noted that there was democracy within the BRS and they encouraged an open culture as part of which any party leader or activist could write letters to the party president, though he maintained his earlier position that internal matters should be discussed within party forums.
Political analysts are pointing that the developments suggest growing tensions within the BRS leadership, with observers noting the contrast between KTR's established position within the party hierarchy and Kavitha's efforts to carve out her own political space following her legal troubles.