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Through the Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural body linked to the BRS, Kavitha played a key role in the Telangana movement working to preserve the state’s culture and traditions
Suspended BRS leader Kavitha addresses a press conference, in Hyderabad on September 3. (Image: PTI)
Everything unfolded as expected. A day after being suspended from the BRS, Kalvakuntla Kavitha – the daughter of former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao – resigned from both her primary membership and as an MLC.
For nearly two decades, Kavitha was an active member of the party. Through the Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural organisation affiliated with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), she played a key role in the Telangana movement working to preserve the state’s culture and traditions.
Starting as a grassroots worker, she rose to become the MP of Nizamabad in 2014. Though she lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election, she was later elected an MLC.
As KCR’s daughter and the Nizamabad MP from 2014 to 2019, the 47-year-old leader gained recognition at the national level. Fluent in Telugu, English, and Hindi, she built strong relationships with leaders across parties and cultivated a positive image in Delhi.
Yet, despite her political background, she ended up being suspended from the party bringing an end to a 20-year association. She has alleged that her relatives – former minister Harish Rao and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Santhosh Rao – conspired against her and forced her out. But her close associates have suggested deeper reasons.
POLITICAL TARGETING & DELHI LIQUOR SCAM
Ahead of the previous election, the BJP – in power at the Centre – directly targeted KCR and the BRS.
In the process, Kavitha was implicated in the Delhi liquor scam and spent nearly five-and-a-half months in jail causing her severe mental distress. According to her associates, she felt she had been used as a pawn in the BRS-BJP political battle but never received recognition or reward in return.
While her brother KT Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, was elevated as the working president and projected as the future chief minister of Telangana, she believed she was equally capable but sidelined. This reportedly created rifts within the family, especially between the siblings. A letter she wrote to their father, which was later leaked, even criticised KTR’s leadership as the working president.
THE LIQUOR SCAM BACKLASH
Although Kavitha attempted to portray her arrest as political victimisation, the BRS leadership including KCR, strongly disapproved of her alleged links to the Delhi excise policy scam.
Many within the BRS believe her arrest was a major reason behind the party’s defeat in the 2023 assembly election. The opposition weaponised the issue, branding her as the ‘Liquor Queen’ during poll campaigns. This not only damaged the party image but also widened the distance between Kavitha and her family members.
ALLEGATIONS OF RUNNING PARALLEL GOVT
Despite holding only MP and MLC positions, Kavitha was accused of running a parallel power structure.
Reports claim she frequently summoned MLAs, met ministers at her residence, dealt directly with contractors, and issued instructions to officials.
Critics have said she ensured her close associates benefited from government projects. A senior BRS leader once told News18: “Even without being a minister, Kavitha enjoyed greater financial benefits than anyone else in the party. She made significant gains in many ways.”
TELANGANA JAGRUTHI AND THE BATUKAMMA ISSUE
Even during and after the Telangana movement, Kavitha continued to promote Telangana Jagruthi, especially through large-scale Batukamma festivals.
These events gained national and international recognition for Telangana culture. However, some second-rung BRS leaders viewed them as rival or parallel party activity.
A senior journalist close to Kavitha told News18: “Batukamma events were Kavitha’s idea. But when the publicity grew, KCR hijacked them and institutionalised them as government programmes. Saris were distributed in the name of Batukamma. The entire credit went to the government, even though it was Kavitha’s initiative.”
THE LARGER PICTURE
Beyond the controversies, there were many reasons for a poor performance by the BRS in the assembly and general elections – 10 years of anti-incumbency, arrogance among leaders, and corruption allegations.
Yet, insiders said there was a smear campaign unfairly targeting Kavitha alone. For example, cracks had already developed in the Medigadda project but leaders deflected attention by blaming her arrest in the liquor scam. Harish Rao was reportedly the main strategist behind this campaign, which deeply hurt her.
Despite holding no official post in the BRS other than being an MP and MLC once, there was a narrative that KCR had stopped speaking to her. Her supporters have dismissed this saying her initiatives were often blocked due to internal pressure on KCR. They said while no action was taken against those who leaked her letter to KCR, she was instead suspended.
After her resignation, Kavitha has accused Harish Rao and Santhosh Rao of conspiring against her. “They plotted to throw me out. I know everything. I only want to warn my brother KTR – be careful. In the last assembly election, Harish Rao even tried to defeat KCR in both Kamareddy and Gajwel,” she said, adding that she will announce her next political move after consulting the Jagruthi cadre and her well-wishers.
WHO ARE HARISH RAO AND SANTHOSH RAO?
T Harish Rao: The nephew of KCR (his sister’s son), Harish Rao has been with the BRS boss since the party’s inception. In 2004, he was made a minister in the YS Rajasekhar Reddy cabinet (TRS, Congress coalition government) even before he became an MLA. Later, he won the Siddipet bypoll and has never lost an election since. He has served as minister for irrigation, health, and finance, and is considered one of the most active leaders of the party.
Santhosh Rao: The son of Ravinder Rao – KCR’s co-brother and a contemporary of KTR – Santhosh Rao has been closely involved with the BRS since the early days of the Telangana movement, managing KCR’s internal political affairs. In 2018, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. He also oversees the family’s media enterprises, including T-News, Namaste Telangana, and Telangana Today.
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