Congress just a regional party now, should align with other strong regional parties to defeat BJP: K Kavitha

BRS, Congress are at loggerheads in Telangana with the former trying to form an alliance of Opposition parties without Congress at the pole position

Amid talks of Opposition unity, senior BRS leader K Kavitha on Thursday said Congress is no more a national party but "just a big regional party" that should "shed its arrogance" and it should align with "strong" regional parties to ensure that the BJP does not return to power.

Kavitha's strong comments against the Congress came even as she "saluted" Sonia Gandhi for her leadership in ensuring the passage of Women's Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha in 2008 and an attack on the BJP, which is sending Enforcement Directorate (ED) to poll-bound Opposition ruled states before Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches there.

At a press conference here two days ahead of her appearance before the ED in Delhi excise policy case, she targeted the Congress but said "all Opposition parties" should come together to take on the "double engine" BJP, whose "first engine is Modi and the second engine is Gautam Adani".

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However, the Telangana MLC and daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao did not mince words on Congress, which the 44-year-old said should "shed its arrogance" and align with "strong regional parties" to ensure that "One Nation, One Friend" party would not get a chance but the Opposition in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

BRS and Congress are at loggerheads in Telangana with the former trying to form an alliance of Opposition parties without Congress at the pole position with the support of parties like Trinamool Congress and AAP.

"Some parties want to undermine others who also speak against the BJP. They think it is their sole prerogative. Congress has this habit of undermining others. But just look at the situation of the Congress now. It is just a big regional party. It is no more a national party," Kavitha said.

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Advocating the need for working together, she said if BRS was a "B-Team" of the BJP, as alleged by the Congress, she would not need to appear before the ED. "We are the A team and we are the alternative to the BJP," she said, as she responded to a question on allegations that it works for the benefit of the BJP.

Asked about the role of Congress in an Opposition bloc, she said it is for the Congress to decide where it stands and what are its responsibilities.

"There is a need for a fact check. Out of the over 4,000 MLAs, Congress has just around 600 MLAs. What is that number? In Tamil Nadu, it is in an alliance and it has only 17 MLAs. In Bihar, it is in an alliance and you know the numbers. In West Bengal, it barely made an entry through a bypoll," she said.