The inner turmoil of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) intensified on Sunday when party MLC and party chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR)'s daughter, K. Kavitha, made a personal attack on senior party leader and erstwhile minister G. Jagadish Reddy.
Speaking to the media, Kavitha blamed some sections of the party with supporting the insulting comments passed against her by suspended Congress MLC Chintapandu Naveen, alias Teenmaar Mallanna. She implied that an upper-level BRS leader was behind these comments, citing the silence of other party members as proof of their involvement.
Kavitha was not sparing in her lambast, calling Jagadish Reddy "Lilliput" in her vociferous counter. She charged that the leader, "who exists only in KCR's shade," has been responsible for destroying the party base in the Nalgonda area. "If KCR does not exist, who are you?" she asked.
The comments followed after Jagadish Reddy is said to have made statements questioning Kavitha's influence, her position in the party, and accused her of deviating from the BRS ideology.
"Another small leader who entered the party late is also doubting my integrity. Telangana society will not forgive such leaders," she stated, in a seeming jab at other critics inside the BRS.
She also charged that some leaders of the BRS stooped to a new low by painting negative pictures about her. "Your attempts at isolating me and keeping me isolated will be rewarded because I believe in Karma," Kavitha asserted.
There has been simmering tension since a private letter penned by Kavitha to her father, KCR, was leaked several months ago. She has since then made no secret of her criticism of senior leaders of the BRS, including her brother and party Working President, K.T. Rama Rao. In fact, at one time, Kavitha called KCR a "god" but expressed regret that he is "surrounded by devils."
As a reaction to her claims, Jagadish Reddy tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "I salute her for her information about my life in the Telangana movement." He also added that he empathises with her for "reciting the words of KCR's opponents."
On the question of BRS joining hands with the BJP—posed recently by BJP MP C.M. Ramesh—Kavitha explained that the allegations were a result of misreading the contents of her leaked letter to KCR.
Meanwhile, she expressed frustration that the state government has not yet granted her permission to stage a dharna to press for 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs). Kavitha said she is hopeful the Telangana High Court, which will hear the Telangana Jagruthi’s plea on Monday, will uphold her constitutional rights.
Kavitha reinforced that the protest would be Gandhian in nature and that her 72-hour hunger strike would provide members of 112 BC castes of the state a chance to express their grievances—giving 40 castes each day a platform to air their grievances.
She also questioned the genuineness of Congress party in their movement against reservation. "If Congress was genuine in its struggle for 42 percent reservation for BCs, their leaders, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, would have spoken loudly in the Parliament," she stated.
The BJP also drew Kavitha's fire for sitting allegedly on two state-approved Bills proposing higher BC quotas in education, employment, and governance. She faulted the Centre for inaction, alleging the party was stalling a vital step toward Telangana's social justice.
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