K Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, on Saturday announced the launch of her own political outfit, the Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS).
Kavitha announced the name of her party at a function held on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Kavitha was suspended from the BRS in September last year after she accused her cousins and party leaders T Harish Rao and J Santosh Kumar of “tarnishing” the image of her father and BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao over the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project built during the BRS regime.
“Remember the name: Telangana Rashtra Sena,” a post on Kavitha X’s handle read, adding:
We refuse to back down no matter what;
It is time for the people of Telangana to have their say.
We will not let our aspirations fade;
You will turn to ashes if you dare to stand in our way.
Your time is up, our time is now.
Since her suspension, Kavitha has been focusing on public issues under the banner of Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural organization she heads.
The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), headed by her father, was originally called the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). However, it was renamed to BRS in 2022.
Announcing plans to float her own outfit, K Kavitha on Friday said the political party would focus on the “unfinished aspirations and agenda” of the state, adding that the “spirit” of BRS had changed.
“BRS was created to fulfill the regional ambition of Telangana, but they changed its name, function and ethos of the party itself, breaking their ties with the people… When a party is distracted from its core core issue, it cannot survive… We need a regional party for Telangana’s unfulfilled agenda and aspirations, which will be our party,” news agency ANI quoted Kavitha as saying.
She said she did not leave the BRS but was expelled by the party. “We did not leave them, neither the family nor the party. We were expelled. I don’t want to go into that. But I am a daughter of Telangana. I have the blood of Telangana, with all its courage,” she said.
“We are very stubborn and very committed to our goal. We have spent 20 years of our lives agitating for Telangana. To develop Telangana to achieve its aspirations, whether we have our old party or not, whether our family is with us or not,” she added.
