In a dramatic turn of events on Thursday, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha launched a scathing attack on certain individuals within her party, alleging that there have been&mdash;and continue to be&mdash;efforts to merge the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
During an informal interaction with reporters, Ms Kavitha took a more direct stance than ever before, strongly implying that her brother and BRS Working President, KT Rama Rao (KTR), was involved in what she perceives as a betrayal and an orchestrated attempt to sideline her.
Without mentioning KTR, Ms Kavitha revealed that during her imprisonment over the Delhi liquor policy case from March to August last year, certain individuals within the party had pushed for a merger with the BJP&mdash;an idea she said she had "firmly opposed."
This pointed remark dovetails with regular criticism of KTR by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and BJP leaders like Bandi Sanjay, who often refer to him mockingly as "Twitter Tillu", alluding to his active presence on social media.
The controversy follows Ms Kavitha&rsquo;s recent outburst over the alleged leak of a private letter she had written to her father, former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. In the letter, she had criticised his speech at the BRS&rsquo;s silver jubilee celebrations in Warangal last month for not being sufficiently critical of the BJP. The leak has fuelled speculation about a potential future alliance between the BRS and the BJP. Ms Kavitha claimed the letter had been leaked deliberately by elements within the party.
However, she dismissed rumours about launching a new political outfit. &ldquo;Why start a new party? It&rsquo;s more important to safeguard the one we already have,&rdquo; she said, confidently asserting that KCR would undoubtedly return as Chief Minister.
&ldquo;I believe some within the BRS are intent on merging the party with the BJP. The merger proposal even reached me while I was in jail, and I was completely against it. I told them I was prepared to remain behind bars, but I would never allow the BRS to be absorbed by the BJP. This party must remain independent to protect the interests of Telangana. Who has the authority to oust me from the party? No one has that power.&rdquo;
When pressed on the identity of those responsible for leaking her letter, Ms Kavitha lashed out at her detractors, accusing them of putting on grand displays of might &ldquo;like Greek heroes&rdquo; while ignoring the real issues. &ldquo;We should be directing our fire at the Congress and BJP&mdash;not each other. And the claim that I&rsquo;ve spoken to the Congress is completely baseless. In BRS, my only leader is KCR. I will work under no one else. There is a certain protocol and respect that the Working President should observe,&rdquo; she said, in an indirect swipe at KTR.
In a further jab at her brother, who is widely believed to oversee the party&rsquo;s social media operations, she voiced her disappointment over the BRS&rsquo;s silence on sensitive matters&mdash;particularly the notice served to KCR by the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission, which is investigating alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme.
The scheme, hailed as the world&rsquo;s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, was conceived and executed during the BRS&rsquo;s decade-long governance of Telangana, from the state&rsquo;s formation in 2014 until its loss to the Congress in 2023.
Ms Kavitha questioned why the party had not organised any protests in response. &ldquo;Why is only Telangana Jagruti&rdquo;&mdash;the cultural wing she leads&mdash;&ldquo;planning a protest on 3rd June, just two days before KCR is due to appear before the panel? Why is the BRS silent, even when Congress sends bulldozers to our leaders&rsquo; homes? Tweeting alone won&rsquo;t save the party. If we want to survive, we must agitate,&rdquo; she said, another apparent dig at KTR.
Continuing her pointed remarks, she added, &ldquo;What will you gain by paying artists to speak against &lsquo;inti aadabidda&rsquo; (a woman from one&rsquo;s own home)? When I offered to resign from both the party and my MLC post, it was KCR who persuaded me not to.&rdquo;
Party sources say Ms Kavitha has long felt disillusioned, particularly during her incarceration over alleged involvement in the Delhi liquor policy case. She reportedly felt let down that KTR and the party&rsquo;s digital wing made no effort to rally public support or defend her at the time.
Another point of contention was the silver jubilee celebration in Warangal, where posters featured only KCR and KTR&mdash;seen by her as a clear signal that she was being marginalised while KTR was being promoted as KCR&rsquo;s successor.
Ms Kavitha made her position unambiguous on Thursday, stating, &ldquo;KCR is my only leader. I will not work under anyone else&rsquo;s leadership.&rdquo;
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Kavitha indirectly accuses her brother KTR of betrayal, says she's being sidelined in BRS

Attempts Made to Merge BRS with BJP: K. Kavitha

Kavitha indirectly accuses her brother KTR of betrayal, says she's being sidelined in BRS

May 30, 2025 | 09:36 IST