Strongly worded remarks from Kavitha accused her cousins—former irrigation minister T Harish Rao and ex-MP J Santosh Kumar—of orchestrating a federal investigation targeting her father, party president K Chandrashekar Rao, in connection with the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. She alleged they had leveraged the CBI inquiry to tarnish his reputation—an assertion that prompted swift disciplinary action from the party’s disciplinary committee, headed by Soma Bharat Kumar and T Ravinder Rao.
Leadership described her behaviour and continued anti-party activities as damaging to the BRS. Within hours, the suspension was announced on social media; proceedings emphasised that party unity and credibility were being prioritised over familial ties.
The disciplinary move has exposed deep-rooted fissures within the party structure. Analysts point to a prolonged power struggle, with Kavitha having clashed notably with her brother K T Rama Rao over issues ranging from a leaked internal letter exposing conspiracies against their father to sidelining in key party appointments.
Voicing support for the suspension, senior party figures such as Satyavati Rathod stated that the party’s interests outweighed personal loyalty. She noted that Kavitha’s repeated warnings had been ignored, and praised the leadership’s decision, adding that trust in allies such as Harish Rao and KTR remained unshaken.
Political opponents have seized the moment to underscore internal discord within the BRS. The Telangana BJP’s state chief slammed the developments as evidence of a fractured party, citing Kavitha’s allegations as confirmation of lingering corruption linked to the Kaleshwaram project. Meanwhile, the Congress called on her to furnish evidence of the graft she claimed was ongoing, interpreting her remarks as a blow to the party’s image that rivals might exploit.
Kavitha’s suspension follows the state government’s handover of the Kaleshwaram investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation, and the earlier Ghose Commission report that blamed senior BRS leadership for project irregularities. Observers caution that the episode could escalate into a broader leadership crisis, particularly as speculation mounts about Kavitha’s political future, including possible resignations or alignment shifts.
Kavitha, for her part, has remained unavailable for comment, as party sources indicate that deliberations occurred with full backing from the party president—her father. The disciplinary action, issued officially by the general secretaries responsible for party conduct, marks a decisive moment of rupture within the BRS.