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Kavitha’s attack on BRS could help Congress
Kavitha's outburst against BRS leaders may benefit Congress as she exposes corruption and plans to launch a new party focused on social justice in Telangana.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi, headed by former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, is facing the heat of his daughter and Telangana Jagruti president Kalvakuntla Kavitha’s outburst against the party leaders in the recent past, which political analysts said indirectly benefits the ruling Congress.
On December 15, the Telangana government ordered a detailed inquiry by vigilance and enforcement department into the alleged grabbing of prime govt land, allotted in the past to present defunct Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (IDPL) at Balanagar in Hyderabad.
The move followed an allegation made by Kavitha against BRS MLA from Kukatpally Madhavaram Krishna Rao, wherein she claimed that over 100 acres of IDPL land was allegedly taken over by private developers and converted into residential layouts.
Soon after the inquiry was ordered, Kavitha urged the government to conduct the inquiry expeditiously, ensure the recovery of encroached government land, and asserted that such land rightfully belonged to the people.
Ever since she resigned from the BRS in September, Kavitha has been targeting senior BRS leaders – directly her cousins – former minister T Harish Rao and former MP Joginapally Santosh Kumar and indirectly her brother K T Rama Rao, the working president of the BRS.
Though she has not been making any criticism of her father KCR, she has been raising the issues of corruption in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, lack of social justice and neglect of infrastructure projects during his regime.
When KTR was making allegations against chief minister A Revanth Reddy for introducing Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation (HILT) policy aimed at relocating industrial estates located within Hyderabad limits to the outskirts and facilitating conversion of these industrial lands into residential, commercial and recreational spaces, Kavitha turned the tables on her brother.
She alleged that it was KTR who had first laid the foundation for converting industrial estates into commercial ventures. “The BRS government sold land given to distilleries, where it was supposed to build hospitals, schools, and double-bedroom houses for the poor. It was converted from industrial use and sold to private entities. Wasn’t it KTR who signed the files on those? There were many companies, but BRS leaders were selective about whom to lease the land to.”
The BRS has gone silent mode following Kavitha’s outburst. “KTR’s own sister has exposed the hollowness of his allegations. The BRS leaders will have to answer her questions first, before questioning the chief minister,” PCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud said.
Kavitha, who has been extensively touring all parts of Telangana in the name of Jagruti Janam Baata (People’s path), officially announced last week that she would float a new regional party, as an alternative to the Congress, BRS and BJP
She asserted that the creation of a “Telangana with social justice” remained her core political objective. She categorically announced that her organisation Telangana Jagruthi would contest the 2029 elections. “We shall announce the name of the party based on suggestions from the public,” she said.
Political analyst Srinivas Rao Manchala said Kavitha’s new regional outfit is going to definitely pose a big threat to the BRS, rather than the Congress. “Though she appears to be criticising Revanth Reddy during the ongoing tour, her main target has been the BRS. She is exposing corruption and lack of development during the BRS period,” he said, adding that whatever anti-incumbency that was forming against the Congress will be neutralised by Kavitha’s attack on the BRS.
Manchala further said Kavitha has taken up the cause of Telangana with social justice, which was completely ignored by the BRS. “In fact, KCR lost his connection with Telangana, after he named the Telangana Rashtra Samithi as BRS. Now, KCR is trying to undo the damage by taking up the Telangana irrigation projects issue, only to overcome the impact of Kavitha,” he said.
