Opinion: Opinion | The BRS Upheaval And the Future Of K Kavitha

The suspension of Kalvakuntla Kavitha from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi is more than a disciplinary footnote. It is a political earthquake rocking the party. The BRS had been feeling the tremors for quite a while now. It started becoming apparent after the defeat of the BRS in the 2023 elections and became evident after the episode of a leaked letter from the daughter to the father. The quake that shook the party came when Kavitha named and pointed fingers at the top leadership of the BRS, all members of the extended family.

It is now time for political aftershocks. Kavitha's timing in delivering her explosive blow was critical, coming as it does when the Central Bureau of Investigation is set to probe the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project that has been spoken about by the BRS as the jewel in Telangana's crown. 

Going by the PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry, it would seem both former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao have some answering to do.

Kavitha has given enough ammunition to political opponents of the BRS. 

By naming cousin and former BRS minister Harish Rao, and Santosh Kumar, cousin and former Rajya Sabha MP, as those with KCR who allegedly used his name to amass wealth for themselves, she has ripped off the BRS's official defense -- that the "indictment" in the PC Ghose Committee report is politically motivated. 

She alleged that the two had a "tacit understanding" with the new Congress government to "tarnish her father's image". Kavitha even claimed that Harish Rao was denied a second term as irrigation minister for the same reason. 

That suggests the alleged wrongdoing happened right under the nose of KCR, he knew about it and yet he did not act on it. Worse, it adds to the narrative built by both Congress and the BJP prior to election, with allegations made by both Revanth Reddy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Kaleshwaram was the ATM for the BRS leaders. 

So while the daughter says she is pained by her "nanna (father)", whom she equated with God, being wrongly blamed, the statements she made put KCR in the dock as a leader and Chief Minister. 

And this time, people may get more suspicious -- or worse, believe this version -- coming from someone who should have seen it all at close quarters. 

It certainly does not cover the BRS with glory and it is now up to the party to do damage control and change the narrative. The rupture is not merely in familial ties but in the power structure of the party.

The criticism against the BRS has long been that leadership is almost strictly within the first family.

Yet, if they met people's expectation and delivered, it would seem that no one was complaining. 

But by firing a self-goal for the BRS, claiming that there was corruption under KCR's watch, Kavitha has harmed the interests of the very father she claims to be speaking for. 

Kavitha claimed that she had stayed silent even though the duo had attempted to sideline and humiliate her, suggesting a direct power struggle with her cousins, one of whom KCR relies on politically and the other who literally stays with him and has more direct access to him than anyone else. 

Everyone knew that Kavitha's frequent outbursts, suggesting not all is well with the BRS, would get her ousted from the party sooner rather than later. 

The critical juncture at which it has happened comes as a shot in the arm for both the Congress and the BJP. 

The BJP is already mocking the BRS, saying these are the challenges that dynastic parties face, the dynamics playing out between power struggle and family relations.

What does Kavitha gain? The BRS is accusing her of playing into the hands of political opponents. But joining hands with either the Congress or the BJP serves no political purpose for Kavitha. The only way forward is for Kavitha is slowly build her political base, if she wants a political future.

Kavitha starts off with a huge advantage because as the daughter of party founder K Chandrashekar Rao, she has long been a visible face of the party. She has seen up close, observed and participated in political activity for several years now and has experience and connections. She may be able to get on her side some sympathisers or those disillusioned with the BRS. She knows how the political system works.

To her credit, Kavitha has been working assiduously and systematically to build her political identity and expand her political base -- through Telangana Jagruti, district tours, a vocal presence in local media and on national debates, and reaching out to different groups, including workers' unions.  

In fact, one of the first triggers for Kavitha to turn rebel was her ouster in August last year from being honorary president of the TBGKS, Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmikula Sangam, a coal workers union with political clout, that too at a time when she was outside the country.

Kavitha has tried to position herself as an advocate for politically significant causes, demanding reservation for women, backward classes. In that context, she had told NDTV that political parties are patriarchal and do not give women opportunity and that her own political party was no exception.
 
But with elections at least three years away, how will Kavitha sustain herself politically? The halo of being the rebel daughter of KCR, sympathy perhaps as someone sidelined, the aura of having been a visible and articulate face in Telangana, are unlikely to last for ever. 

Comparisons are being made to the feud that broke out between brother and sister in the neighbouring Telugu state. 

Sources close to Kavitha said she would not go the Sharmila way. 
For one, the dispute here is not over money or assets. It is a fight to assert a political right to lead, given that the father seems to have clearly spelt out his preference for the son as his political heir. 

As a top BRS leader put it: "KCR is the face, body and soul of the BRS. Whoever has his blessings will be the successor. Afterall, what is anyone in the party without a KCR?" 
 

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