K Kavitha addresses a press conference in Hyderabad.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: A day after her suspension, former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter K Kavitha resigned from the BRS and for her position as MLC on Wednesday.
In a dramatic turn of events, she alleged that internal conspirators within the party had orchestrated a systematic smear campaign against her.
Speaking at a press conference at her Telangana Jagruti office, Kavitha accused her cousins former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao and former Rajya Sabha member Joginapally Santosh Rao of conspiring to seize control of the BRS by deliberately splitting their family.
She warned her brother, BRS working president and former minister KT Rama Rao, that the same forces would eventually target and remove him from the party as well.
"They don't want the three of us to stay together. They believe they can gain power only if our family breaks apart," Kavitha said, referring to herself, KTR, their father K Chandrashekar Rao, and Harish Rao.
Kavitha interpreted her ouster as part of a broader conspiracy to capture control of the BRS, expressing deep personal anguish over the developments.
"I joined the Telangana movement and the party when I was 27, leaving behind a one-and-a-half-year-old toddler at home. I gave my everything in support of the party and the Telangana people. In fact, Ram anna (KTR) and I had joined father to support him. But today I'm deeply hurt," she said.
She asked how discussing BC reservations, a core BRS ideology constituted anti-party activity, calling it part of the conspiracy to split their family and gain party control. "KCR is my ideal and identity. My father should understand what's going on around him," said Kavitha.
Kavitha claimed that Harish Rao had personally funded 20 to 25 MLA candidates in the 2018 Assembly polls to maintain control over them in case of a fractured electoral outcome. She questioned the source of such substantial funding, pointedly asking where Harish Rao obtained the money, if not from the Kaleshwaram project.
Kavitha also held both Harish Rao and Santosh Rao responsible for significant electoral defeats, including her own loss in the 2019 Nizamabad Lok Sabha elections, KCR's defeat in Kamareddy during the 2023 assembly polls, and the party's ultimate loss of power.
Kavitha also claimed that Harish and Santosh's factions had colluded with both BJP and Congress parties. She pinpointed the beginning of these conspiracies to a specific incident when Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Harish Rao travelled together on the same flight.
"These conspiracies began only after Harish Rao fell at Revanth's feet,” she alleged. Kavitha also raised questions about Harish Rao's dairy business, alleging that he secured lucrative government contracts to supply milk to hostels immediately after Congress assumed power.
Kavitha questioned why Chief Minister Revanth Reddy speaks about a Rs 1 lakh crore scam but remains silent about Harish Rao's role while exclusively targeting KCR. "If there's a CBI investigation against KCR, the reason for that is Harish Rao and Santosh Rao," she alleged.
Kavitha revealed that she would consult with Telangana Jagruti members, her followers, and well-wishers before deciding her next political move.