K Kavitha, former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter, on Saturday announced the launch of her own a political outfit, namely ‘Telangana Rashtra Sena’ (TRS).
Kavitha announced her party’s name at an event held on the outskirts of Hyderabad, where she said her previous party BRS led to Telangana losing its soul and that she is feels ashamed of it over some issues.
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” her father and BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s image over the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project built during the BRS regime.
“I was part of that family and now feel ashamed for some issues, BRS led to Telangana losing its soul,” she said, according to a video shared by PTI news agency.
“Remember The Name: Telangana Rashtra Sena,” a post on Kavitha X handle stated, adding:
We refuse to back down, come what may;
It is time the people of Telangana have their say.
We will not let our aspirations decay;
Be reduced to ashes if you dare come in our way.
Your Time is Done, Our Time is Now.
Since her suspension, Kavitha has been focusing on public issues under the banner of Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural organisation she heads.
The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), headed by her father, was originally named Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). However, it was renamed to BRS in 2022.
Announcing plans to float her own outfit, K Kavitha on Friday said that the political party would focus on the “aspirations and unfinished agenda” of the state, adding that the “soul” of BRS has been changed.
“BRS party was made to fulfil the regional aspiration of Telangana, but they changed their name, work and the very soul of the party, which resulted in the breaking of their bond with the people… When a party gets distracted from its fundamental core issue, then it cannot survive… We need a regional party for the unfulfilled agenda and aspirations of Telangana, which will be our party,” ANI news agency quoted Kavitha as saying.
She said she has not left BRS but was expelled by the party. “We haven’t left them, neither the family nor the party. We have been expelled. I don’t want to go into that. But I am a daughter of Telangana. I have the blood of Telangana, the grit of it,” she said.
“We are very stubborn, very committed to our goal. We have spent 20 years of our lives in the Telangana agitation. To develop Telangana, to fulfil its aspirations, whether we have our old party or not, whether our family is with us or not,” she added.
