Kavitha attacks brother KTR in BRS turf war

HYDERABAD: In an escalation of intra-party squabbling in Telangana, Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC and former MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha, daughter of party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao , Thursday accused senior netas within her own party of attempting to merge BRS with BJP - a move she says she vehemently opposed even while incarcerated in the Delhi liquor policy scam case last year.

Interacting with media at her residence, Kavitha tore into the party leadership, indirectly targeting working president and her brother KT Rama Rao for failing to act against 'internal coverts,' not responding to attacks from Congress, and remaining silent during a coordinated smear campaign against her.

"When I was in jail, there was talk of merging BRS with BJP. I told my father, let party remain independent, even if it meant I stayed in jail for another year," Kavitha said. She added her actions were aimed only at strengthening the party, and backstabbing was not in her DNA.

'Backstabbed from within'

Kavitha said there was an internal conspiracy to sideline her and sever her connection with KCR. Referring to the leak of a private letter she had written to her father earlier this month, she accused party insiders of attempting to discredit her and questioned why the leadership failed to act against those responsible.

"Instead of finding those who leaked the letter, they unleashed paid social media trolls and media artistes, even from abroad, to malign me," she quipped.

The succession war within BRS - between KTR and Kavitha - has come at a time when BRS is celebrating its silver jubilee and at the same time grappling with multiple issues, including fighting a legal battle over defections by its MLAs who have joined Congress.

Analysts say succession battles typically arise after the supremo is no longer in picture. However, in BRS's case, power tussle has begun while KCR is still at the helm. Sources said KCR's relatives within BRS have already split into camps, supporting either KTR or Kavitha.

Letter bomb revealed rift

The rift between the duo became apparent after Kavitha wrote a 'feedback letter' to KCR regarding his speech at the BRS silver jubilee meeting 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.