The circumstances that led to MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha’s suspension from BRS, her subsequent resignation from the party and also as an MLC, resembling revolt of APCC chief YS Sharmila against her brother and former Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, few years ago.
While Sharmila is said to be revolted against her brother following property disputes and also unable to get a suitable place within the YSRCP and also the AP government, after her brother became Chief Minister, Kavitha’s tirade is mostly ignoring her in party affairs.
After quitting her brother’s YSRCP, Sharmila floated her own party in Telangana (YSRTP), but could not sustain it and merged it with the Congress. She went on to become APCC president. But as Congress state chief also she is unable to enjoy any political clout, against frequently targeting her brother.
Though Sharmila failed to get even a single MLA seat for Congress in AP, she succeeded in pushing her brother Jaganmohan Reddy into defense and damaged his reputation drastically. Through her critical comments about her brother Jagan, Sharmila provided much-needed ammunition to the opposition during last year’s general and Assembly polls, which saw the YSRCP suffer a rout.
Though Kavitha did not attack her brother and BRS working president K T Rama Rao (KTR) directly, she blamed him for not appropriately responding when a malicious campaign was unleashed against her on social media by some party sympathizers. She mainly targeted her cousins, Harish Rao and Santosh Kumar, alleging them responsible for KCR getting the taint of corruption in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project issue.
Even as Kavitha did not reveal her plan of action, the focus of her comments was clearly against the BRS and its leaders. Unlike Sharmila, as promoter of Telangana Jagriti, she had proved her organizational skills in mobilizing masses around her. Interestingly, she made it clear that she is not intending to join any other party, indicating her plans to float her own political platform in the days to come.
Moreover, both Congress and BJP leaders soon after suspension from BRS made it clear that their party doors are not open to her. Whatever her plans may be, her outbursts against selective BRS leaders would certainly damage the party in the forthcoming local body polls.