Liquor scam, drugs use charges: KCR lets KTR, Kavitha fend off political attacks

While father K Chandrashekar Rao is immersed in his new project BRS's nationwide expansion plans, within Telangana, his two children and political heirs are facing Opposition's heat over their alleged involvement in liquor scam and drugs consumption.

Chief Minister KCR's daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha, a Telangana MLC, is named in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) report in the Delhi liquor policy scam and was grilled by the CBI already.

Son KT Rama Rao, a prominent minister looking after IT, industries, municipal administration, etc sectors and “heir apparent” to the CM throne, is facing Telangana BJP and Congress leaders' charges that he is connected to people, celebrities entangled with narcotics and that he himself had consumed drugs.

The case against Kavitha is that she was involved in dealings to favour the “South Group”, allegedly comprising YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, businessman Aurobindo director Sarath Chandra Reddy, in Delhi government's excise policy decisions. Thereby proxy companies have earned windfall profits. The ED has reportedly claimed that a massive kickback of about Rs 100 crore was paid to the ruling party AAP in return.

Read | TRS became BRS and KCR will soon take VRS: Nadda

Intriguingly, KCR, who is ever ready to strike back at detractors not even sparing leaders like PM Narendra Modi, has so far not defended his children publicly over these accusations, apparently leaving the now seasoned politicians to fend off the political attacks themselves.

Kavitha however has been consulting her father. She had met KCR after receiving the CBI notices and also after her statement was recorded by the agency's sleuths on December 11.

On Wednesday, the MLC reacted sharply to insinuations made by Congress and BJP leaders on Twitter, pointing to her name mentioned 28 times in the ED report.

Curiously, even the brother-sister duo did not make any statements that could be seen as in strong solidarity with each other.

For some time now, KTR has become the target of the Telangana Congress and BJP leaders, who, while accusing the minister of consuming drugs, had dared him to take the narcotics tests to prove his “purity.”

Last year, KTR initiated a defamation suit against Revanth Reddy, the state Congress chief, for allegedly dragging his name into the Tollywood drugs case.

On Tuesday, KTR hit back again, this time at Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay. KTR said that he is ready to give not just his blood, but samples of hair, nails, kidneys etc.

“When the tests give negative results, Bandi should be prepared to be slapped with slippers in Karimnagar chowrasta,” KTR said.