Hyderabad

TRS president K Kavitha has said that her association with the BRS, led by her father K Chandrasekhar Rao, is over and that she is focusing on building a future with her fledgling party.

She said, “Definitely, that chapter is closed. It is said that, in life, we have to turn a page sometimes and close the book sometimes. I have closed the book called BRS. I am going to write a new history with TRS (her own outfit Telangana Rakshana Sena).”

She was responding to a question if reconciliation with BRS was possible if her father made an offer. In the backdrop of “bitter experiences” of not being able to deliver on crucial promises when the BRS was in power, she said she was going to people to build a “great Telangana,” including achieving social justice. She revealed that floating her own political outfit was never her origial plan.

Kavitha noted that her suspension from the BRS occurred without a show-cause notice or any semblance of internal democracy. Alleging that parties in Telangana, including BRS, were “heavily focused on national issues”, she said her party, Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS), would prioritise regional issues. Asked about her charge that BRS abandoned Telangana’s aspirations, she criticised the party led by her father for “failing” to recognise most of the “freedom fighters” who fought for statehood, and said not enough was done for the families of those who sacrificed their lives for the cause. She wished she had fought harder for the cause during the BRS regime. Once BRS moved away from the core ideology, the umbilical cord between the Telangana people and the party was severed, she said.

To a query on the principal rival of her party, Kavitha replied that the Congress is the main opposition as it is in power. According to her, the BJP and BRS are in “sleep mode”, and only her TRS is launching protests on a host of public issues.

In response to Congress’ criticism that she was part of the government when BRS was in power, she admitted that she could have done more on various issues during the previous regime, though one cannot go beyond a limit when part of a party. However, the Congress, now in power, cannot shift the blame to the party that was previously in power, she said.

Regarding her party’s immediate goals, she said TRS has taken up struggles on public issues, including crop procurement and school fees regulation. In the long run, the TRS wants to ensure Telangana’s share in Godavari and Krishna waters.