K Kavitha or KTR? BRS caught in ‘succession’ crossfire | Hyderabad News

HYDERABAD: At a time when the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is celebrating its silver jubilee, a succession war appears to be brewing within the party between working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) and his sister Kalvakuntla Kavitha. This comes at a time when the party is grappling with multiple issues, including fighting a legal battle over the defections by its MLAs who have joined the Congress. Sources said that more than emerging as a leader, the family feud seems to be over who controls the party and sharing some of the influence.

Political analysts say that succession battles typically arise after the party supremo is no longer in the picture. However, in the case of the BRS, the power tussle has begun while K Chandrasekhar Rao is still at the helm. Sources said KCR’s relatives within the party have already split into camps, supporting either KTR or Kavitha.

Letter bomb revealed riftThe rift between the duo became apparent after Kavitha, a former Lok Sabha MP and current MLC, wrote a ‘feedback letter’ to KCR regarding his speech at the BRS silver jubilee public meeting at Elkathurthy in Warangal. In the letter, she expressed dissatisfaction, particularly regarding KCR in his speech not targeting the BJP, not addressing the issue of BC reservations, lack of accessibility to BRS leaders, and other concerns. Party sources said differences emerged more than a year ago and intensified in the past few months.While KTR handled party affairs as working president, Kavitha was not entrusted with any major responsibility and was confined to the Nizamabad district. Even in the legislative council, former speaker Madhusudhana Chary was appointed party leader, bypassing Kavitha.While addressing the media on Thursday, Kavitha said that she had put her ‘sweat and money’ into the party since 2006 and had actively participated in the Telangana movement, even while pregnant and took up programmes under the organisation she set up, Telangana Jagruthi. Her comments indicate that she did not become a leader overnight and did not grab the posts, but that she deserved to have a say in party affairs.Sidelined for past yearSources close to Kavitha said she has been sidelined for over a year. To remain relevant, she started taking up programmes independently under the banner of Telangana Jagruthi, omitting BRS flags and leaders’ images. She has been conducting programmes for the enhancement of BC reservations to 42%, caste survey, and the installation of Jyothirao Phule’s statue on the premises of the state assembly.Kavitha feels that she was deliberately sidelined, with even second-rung leaders ignoring her. “When Kavitha held a roundtable discussion on BC reservations and caste survey issues in Kamareddy and Banswada, none of the local BRS leaders turned up. Similarly, when she organised a programme in Manthani, Peddapalli, and Ramagundam, former ministers and former BRS MLAs such as Koppula Eshwar and Putta Madhu failed to attend,” a close aide of Kavitha said.Rumours not addressedKavitha is reportedly upset with party leaders, including KTR, ‘silence’ during a social media campaign that suggested she might leave the BRS and join Congress. The MLC said that none of the leaders came forward to deny or condemn the rumours.However, when similar rumours about senior leader Harish Rao surfaced, party leaders not only condemned it but also lodged police complaints. As soon as the news broke out, KTR even visited Harish Rao’s residence and held a couple of meetings with party leaders. According to sources, KTR and Harish Rao resolved their differences and have decided to work together. However, in the case of Kavitha, no such attempt was made by her brother KTR.Three days ago, BRS leaders MP Damodar Rao and party legal cell convenor Gandra Mohan Rao met with Kavitha, but the talks yielded no positive outcome. With the confusion in the BRS mounting, party leaders are now awaiting a response from KCR. While KTR has remained silent on the issue, Kavitha on Thursday made her stand clear by declaring that “I am here to stay in politics.”