Kavitha launches Telangana Rashtra Sena, enters state political fray

Former BRS MP and MLC K Kavitha on Saturday launched a new political party, the Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS), marking a fresh chapter in Telangana politics. Kavitha is the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K Chandrashekar Rao.

She left the BRS seven months ago after differences with her brother, K Taraka Rama Rao, who is widely seen as Rao’s political successor. She was later suspended from the party over alleged anti-party activities.

The day began with a private puja at her Hyderabad residence, followed by floral tributes at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial in Gunpark. She then travelled to a convention centre in Munirabad, Medchal mandal, around 50 kilometres from Hyderabad, where folk music and dance performances welcomed supporters.

Announcing a new entrant in the political landscape of Telangana, former BRS MP and MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha launched her party Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS) on Saturday morning. Kavitha is the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrashekar Rao.

She quit the BRS party seven months ago, over differences with her brother and BRS working president K Taraka Rama Rao who is often projected as the political heir of Chandrashekar Rao.

On Saturday, for Kavitha, the day started with a private puja at her residence in Hyderabad. She then travelled to Gunpark to pay floral tributes to martyrs at the Telangana martyrs memorial. At a convention centre in Munirabad, in Medchal mandal of Telangana, about 50 kilometers from Hyderabad, Telangana folk songs played and dancers grooved to the fast beats.

As Kavitha has hopes to carve a space for herself as a woman leader in a male dominated political landscape, those who surrounded her were women of different backgrounds – from ST Lambadas to Muslim women in hijab. The launch started with a reminder that Kavitha has been part of the Telangana agitation for decades. A video played of Kavitha participating in Telangana agitation which had peaked in 2009, as she seated herself confidently among her party workers.

he daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), and former BRS leader, K. Kavitha, on Saturday launched her own political party, called the Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS). This comes months after the former MP was suspended from the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), her father's party, over "anti-party activities."

The announcement about the formation of the new political outfit was made last month. During a press conference in March, Kavitha had said that her party would stand for universal upliftment and welfare, with inclusive development and self-sufficiency as its core principles.

She had said the new political platform would be formed with the aim of addressing the unmet aspirations of the people of Telangana more than a decade after it got statehood.

"Even after 12 years, we have not achieved the 'Neellu, Nidhulu, Niyamakalu,' (water, funds, and jobs) which formed the basis of the Telangana movement," Kavitha had stated, alleging that successive governments in the state have failed to meet the expectations of farmers, youth, industrialists and marginalised communities.

The ex-parliamentarian had further said, "The aim is to take governance closer to the people and resolve issues at the grassroots." She added that her party would prioritise local concerns often overlooked in broader political debates.

Kavitha has constantly hit out at the BRS and the BJP, asserting that both of them have failed in their roles as opposition parties in Telangana and have not effectively represented the grievances of the people.

Earlier this week, she took a swipe at the BRS, saying the regional party would not change its ways "even after 1,000 years".

"The BRS party would not change even after 1,000 years. There is no mention of (welfare of) those who fought for Telangana statehood," she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.