In a dramatic escalation of internal strife within the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), senior leader K Kavitha, daughter of party founder and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), announced her resignation from the party and her position as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) on Wednesday. The move follows her suspension from the BRS, as she unleashed a scathing attack on her cousin, former minister T Harish Rao, accusing him of orchestrating a conspiracy against the KCR family.
Speaking at a press conference in Hyderabad, the 47-year-old former MP alleged that Harish Rao had a “tacit understanding” with Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, claiming he “surrendered” to Reddy and conspired to divide the KCR family. “I never aspired for any posts. I am sending my resignation letter to the Legislative Council chairman and resigning from BRS’s primary membership to KCR,” Kavitha declared, hinting at external pressure on her father to suspend her.
Kavitha accused Harish Rao of funding 20-25 MLAs during the 2018 assembly elections with money allegedly sourced from corruption in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, aiming to secure their loyalty. She likened him to ‘Kattappa’ from Bahubali, questioning his proclaimed loyalty to KCR. She further alleged that Harish Rao attempted to sabotage her brother, BRS Working President K T Rama Rao, in the 2009 Sircilla assembly polls and worked to undermine her in the Nizamabad Lok Sabha segment.
The CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project, announced by the Congress government, was attributed by Kavitha to the “corruption” of Harish Rao and another cousin, Santosh Kumar. “I am requesting Ramu anna [K T Rama Rao] to keep Harish and Santosh away. They are not well-wishers of Telangana or KCR,” she urged, warning that the conspiracy aimed to seize control of the BRS.
Kavitha also claimed that some of her staff received police notices regarding an illegal phone-tapping investigation from the BRS regime, suggesting Harish Rao’s involvement. She referenced a past flight journey shared by Harish Rao and Revanth Reddy as the genesis of their alleged collusion, a claim previously denied by Congress.
Clarifying that she has no plans to join another political party, Kavitha said her future course of action would be decided after consultations with supporters. The BRS, which suspended her for “anti-party activities,” faces a deepening crisis as Kavitha’s exit exposes a fractured leadership and threatens the party’s unity.