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The Print
04-08-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Priyanka to Sharmila, Kanimozhi to Misa—KCR's daughter Kavitha is fighting a bigger battle
While she is being trolled and ridiculed by political rivals as also party colleagues, nobody has come to her defense. Even her brother and the party's working president, KT Rama Rao, hasn't said a word. To make matters worse, she was dropped as honorary president of the Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), a BRS-affiliated trade union. K Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, is hurting. She began her 72-hour hunger strike Monday, demanding 42 per cent reservation for backward classes in jobs, educational institutions and local bodies. Her party, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, is staying away from it. So, what's happening in the BRS' 'first family'? In August last year when she came out of Tihar jail on bail in the alleged liquor scam, her family was waiting for her outside. With tears in her eyes, she had kissed her brother KT Rama Rao's hand. A year later, she is looking isolated and abandoned by the family. The controversy surrounding her 'letter bomb' refuses to die down. Not because her father is upset about the letter, in which she expressed disagreement with his way of functioning, but because of how her party has reacted — by virtually abandoning her. Party insiders tell me that while the father did call the daughter 'three or four times', the brother has cut off all communication with her. A succession war in BRS? These developments are being interpreted in political circles as a full-blown succession war between Kavitha and KTR, with cousin Harish Rao keeping his ambitions in abeyance and pledging allegiance to KTR. But it's not as simple as that. Party insiders close to the BRS first family tell me that the man behind Kavitha's current woes is not her brother. The one who triggered this storm is someone party circles are calling the 'VK Pandian of Telangana' — a reference to the former IAS officer in Odisha whose 'control' over ex-CM Naveen Patnaik alienated Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders and eventually led to Patnaik's fall from power. In the case of the BRS' family feud, it's not an ex-IAS officer. It's a close relative and KCR's trusted confidant who, insiders say, has gained 'control' over the former CM. And it's this person that Kavitha has taken up the cudgels against. She has been hurting ever since her letter to KCR was 'leaked' — a letter in which she questioned her father for being soft on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during his speech marking the BRS' 25th anniversary. She said this gave the impression that the BRS and BJP could work together in the future. The letter also flagged other concerns about the way her party leadership was functioning. It was 'leaked' while she was in the US visiting her elder son. Though she had sent the letter before leaving, many might find it strange that she chose to write rather than speak to her father, possibly a sign of a rift. The fact, however, is that she has been writing hand-written letters — not emails, which KCR doesn't use — for years. The usual practice was that she would hand over a letter during a meeting, which he would read and respond to later. This time, Kavitha sent the letter through her mother, as she was sick and didn't want to risk infecting her elderly father. But when the letter surfaced just before her return to India, she was furious. She apparently saw a pattern — and a familiar hand, someone she always suspected of working against her. Party insiders say she suspects her cousin Joginapally Santhosh Kumar to be behind the leak. Santhosh is her mother Shobha's sister's son, who is like KCR's 'nurse and PA' who stays with him 24X7, taking care of him — much like Pandian did with Patnaik. This kind of access to an otherwise reclusive and inaccessible KCR has given him untrammelled clout. The BRS chief even rewarded him with a Rajya Sabha seat in 2018. Santhosh, for his part, vehemently denied the allegations in a conversation with ThePrint. But Kavitha, her aides say, won't calm down unless her father sends Santhosh packing. Kavitha's ire, insiders say, is directed squarely at Santhosh. She hasn't said so publicly, but her brother KTR's silence — and the online trolling by BRS-associated handles — could have made her apprehensive of a larger game at play. The three brothers—KTR, Harish Rao and Santhosh Kumar—rule the roost in the party. What next for Kavitha? Over a decade ago, when KCR asked her to contest from Nizamabad, he made it clear that KTR would be his political heir. BRS leaders say Kavitha was 'perfectly fine' with that. She knew that in Indian politics, sons are the preferred choices of fathers — and most mothers — no matter how competent the daughters may be. There are instances galore. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may be more articulate, have far bigger mass appeal, and show superior political acumen and leadership skills than her brother, but she must play second fiddle to Rahul Gandhi. Because that's what Sonia Gandhi wants. Rahul remains her preferred prime ministerial face, regardless of the cost to the Congress. But why blame only Sonia Gandhi? No matter how good a leader Kanimozhi might be, she was never seen as a contender for Karunanidhi's legacy. Even in Meghalaya, a matrilineal society, it's no different. I remember how fondly PA Sangma would speak of his daughter Agatha. He even sought Sonia's forgiveness for his 1999 rebellion to get Agatha a place in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet. But when it came to naming a political heir, it was always going to be his son Conrad. YS Sharmila, daughter of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, walked 3,000 km to build momentum for her jailed brother Jagan Mohan Reddy. Once he came to power, she was sidelined and had to leave the party. Credit to their mother, YS Vijayamma, who left her son and chose to stand by her daughter. She later said it was 'deeply painful' to watch one child be wronged by another. Lalu Prasad Yadav would happily send his daughter Misa Bharti to Parliament, but his political legacy in Bihar must go to his son Tejashwi Yadav. Also read: Dhankhar's resignation: How Modi-Shah's 'capable' BJP has served another strong message to RSS Not all mothers show that courage Look around. It's the same story in every political party, every political family — as long as sons are available, daughters rarely inherit legacies. There are exceptions, like Supriya Sule. Didn't Sharad Pawar fight it out with his nephew Ajit and even let the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) split just to ensure that his daughter becomes the heiress of his political legacy? True. But we don't know what he would have done had he had a son, not a nephew, vying for the throne. So no, Kavitha would not have been disappointed with her father making his succession plan clear at the very beginning of her political career. She was content being the BRS' face in Delhi. Today, she is cornered. Her father does not seem inclined to listen to her complaint against Santhosh. And whether by default or design, her brother doesn't look particularly concerned. She couldn't have been removed from the trade union without KTR's consent. His silence now speaks louder than any statement. Meanwhile, the BJP and Congress are watching these developments in the BRS with great interest. I met Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and state BJP president Ramchander Rao last week. Both consider BRS their enemy no. 1, albeit for different reasons. Reddy sees the regional party as his main rival. Rao says the BJP will first finish off BRS, and then dislodge the Congress from power. BRS leaders close to Kavitha insist she is fighting for 'self-respect' and nothing more. It's not a succession war. Not yet, at least. Her bhaiyyas — brothers — obviously have different ideas. Kavitha will visit Rama bhaiyya (KTR) this weekend to tie a rakhi on his wrist. Let's see what gift he gives her in return. DK Singh is Political Editor at ThePrint. He tweets @dksingh73. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
New Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Telangana state BJP president Ramchander Rao demands demolition of Akbaruddin Owaisi college
HYDERABAD: Newly appointed state BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Monday accused the Congress government of showing undue favouritism towards a college built by AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, allegedly on Salkam lake bed. In a strongly worded statement, Ramchander questioned why the government granted relaxations to this college while taking a harsh stance against poor families residing in the Musi River catchment area, despite them having purchased the land legally and obtained necessary permissions. He demanded the immediate demolition of the college, warning that BJP cadre would 'take action' if the government failed to do so. He criticised the government's justification for the relaxation, citing provision of education to 10,000 students at the college. 'If the government can show such leniency here, why not for the lakhs of poor people living near the Musi? Why are their homes being demolished even after they paid taxes and followed due procedures?' he asked. He further pointed out that the government had already granted relaxations to the college for the previous academic year. 'Instead of repeatedly bending rules, the management should have been given time to relocate and continue education elsewhere,' he said. He also levelled serious allegations against Akbaruddin Owaisi, accusing him of 'grabbing government land, evading taxes, and even sheltering terrorists.' He demanded immediate action against the MLA and the demolition of the disputed structure. Ramchander also condemned recent attacks on media houses and urged the government to ensure their safety. He issued a stern warning to the BRS, saying, 'If they target media outlets, the BJP's state unit will retaliate by safeguarding journalists and counter-attacking BRS-affiliated media.'
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Kavitha launches Singareni Jagruthi, expands her turf to coal belt area
Hyderabad: Stepping up her activities, BRS MLC and Telangana Jagruthi founder has launched 'Singareni Jagruthi' exclusively to expand the Jagruthi activities in coal belt areas. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She announced that it will work with Telangana Boggugani Karmika Sangam (TGBGKS), the BRS-affiliated Singareni workers' union. Incidentally, Kavitha is the honorary president of TGBKS, but the union has been inactive for the past one and a half years. After the formation of Singareni Jagruthi, Kavitha on Tuesday appointed coordinators for 11 Singareni areas in the coal belt, and all activities in these areas would be taken up under the flag of Singareni Jagruthi. Kavitha announced that she would constitute a women's wing of Singareni Jagruthi soon. TGBKS was once a strong workers' union in Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and even a recognised union earlier. However, in the Dec 2023 elections, the union did not field any candidates due to confusion whether to contest the polls or not. Finally, almost all-important leaders of TGBKS joined Congress-affiliated trade union INTUC, which is now the recognised workers' union of SCCL. The formation of Singareni Jagruthi has assumed significance as she was the honorary president of TGBKS and can revive and strengthen the trade union in Singareni areas. The SCCL workers are important for any political party, as about 40,000 workers and their families are spread across 11 assembly constituencies in the coal belt area. In the 2023 assembly elections, Congress had won 10 of the 11 assembly constituencies in the coal belt. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Singareni Jagruthi will take up various activities for the welfare of the workers and protect the rights of workers in the coming days. The Congress govt wants to ruin SCCL with its corruption. We will fight for the medical and education facilities of the Singareni workers' families," Kavitha said, while addressing the Telangana Jagruthi workers at her residence in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Kavitha, who announced the names of coordinators in the meeting, demanded that the Singareni management should restart the schools and introduce CBSE syllabus in them. The MLC also asked the govt to provide free corporate hospital treatment to the workers, apart from constructing new quarters for the workers, as many dwellings, which were constructed several decades ago, were in a dilapidated condition. She alleged that District Mineral Trust Fund (DMFT) funds were being diverted to other assembly constituencies by the ruling party from coal belt areas. "The BRS govt under KCR restarted dependent employment in SCCL, but the Congress govt wants to ruin the coal company with its corruption. The Jaipur thermal power plant cost was escalated by 5,000 crore," Kavitha said. Singareni Jagruthi would fight for the welfare and rights of the workers by chalking out programmes, she added.
