Hyderabad: Kalvakuntla Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, is carving out an independent political path following her abrupt exit from her father's party, the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS). As part of her efforts to reshape her political career, she will embark on a months-long yatra across Telangana, from October 25 to February 13, called the Jagruti Janam Baata (Jagruti Goes to People) yatra, which aims to reach every corner of the state to gauge the pulse of its people.

Not long ago, Kavitha was considered the fourth pillar of the BRS, alongside her father, her brother K.T. Rama Rao and her cousin T. Harish Rao. However, strained relations within the party and her family led to her suspension. A day after Chandrasekhar Rao suspended her for "anti-party activities" in September, she resigned from her primary membership in the BRS and from the legislative council, signalling a complete break with the party. The friction stemmed, in part, from a six-page letter she sent to her father in April 2025, in which she raised concerns about party affairs. Once the letter became public, it further isolated her within the BRS and her family. Since then, she has primarily been in touch only with her mother.

The Wire spoke to K. Kavitha just before she launched the yatra from Nizamabad about her plans for the future amidst the political uncertainties she confronts. While she admits missing KCR, as her father is popularly known, she is careful to separate that sentiment from her political journey. Edited excerpts from the interview:

Why are you doing this yatra? What do you want to achieve?

It is always important to have your ears to the ground. When we actually go to the field, we come to know about multiple problems faced by people: they are so very distressed by crop failures due to urea shortage, the state government not delivering on its six promises made before elections, the stoppage of social security pensions and lack of compensation to crop damage due to rains, and other issues. Therefore, I am trying to understand their pulse, witness their plight and voice their problems. People are good thinkers, and I want to understand their needs and form an opinion.

Do you want to start a political party?

It is too soon to expect a party from me. Right now, I want to stand firmly on my feet. I want to forge ahead with the aim to strengthen Jagruti as a people-centric organisation. I will not use my father's name or legacy in my yatra.

I will not leave public life at any cost. I was never shy of going to people in the name of Jagruti during its nineteen years of existence. And I will continue to do that until the needs of all sections of the people are met.

What sections of people will your programme target?

Firstly, the families of martyrs in the Telangana statehood movement. Then, I will contact the old cadre of Jagruti and also many disillusioned party [BRS] cadre. I will go to women, unemployed youth, farmers and all other sections that suffered in the present government.

Do you see enough political space for yourself to make a difference and convince people about the failures of the Congress government?

There is a vacuum in leadership in Telangana right now. Nobody is happy with the government. All services to people have come to a standstill. Take government hospitals or schools: they are all in pathetic condition. The entire criticism for failure of government deliverables are directed at Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. He has to take the blame for everything. Except for free bus travel to women, he has done nothing. Even that scheme has run into trouble, as seen from overcrowding in buses and quarrels over seats among women. [But] he [Reddy] is not one to take responsibility, nor has the intention to do so.  A systemic change is required to set things right.

The government has utterly failed to check power cuts in Hyderabad. There is no tuition fee reimbursement of students to college managements, the promise of Rs 2,500 pension to every poor woman has not been implemented by the state government and the literacy rate has dropped substantially. My heartbeat rises when I think about these things.

Also read: Telangana: With Daughter's Rebellion and Emerging Family Fault Lines, KCR Has Decisions to Make

Do you feel things were different during BRS rule?

KCR is a wonderful man. He addressed the problems of all sections. There might have been some loose ends in implementation, but his intentions to do good were clear. Some things that happened then: like the construction of double-bedroom houses for the poor, [distribution of] KCR kits to new mothers and investment support for farmers, were game-changers.

Though I never held executive power [during BRS rule], I could still assert myself and put the government machinery on notice when things went wrong. The party also bestowed me with immense power to do good for the needy. Now, I am unable to do anything. That is why I have chosen this path: hit the road and find out the problems of the poor.

Are you carrying the baggage of the party to which you belonged?
Morally, I belong to that party, as it gave me so many opportunities. But now, I am emotionally overwhelmed to have got another opportunity to serve the people. So, I have to put the moral equation aside and work to solve the problems of the poor.

Do you feel that the party ditched you, or that your hard work and contributions with BRS were a waste?

The party threw me out without giving me a show-cause notice. They [BRS leaders] said I indulged in anti-party activities – show me what anti-party activity I did? Till date, there has been no answer to the questions I raised. If not me, they must answer to the people of Telangana about my misdeeds. I don't know why they slapped the suspension on me. I toured 57 assembly constituencies after my release on bail to sensitise people about the good work done by the BRS government. Does it amount to anti-party activities?

What is the status of the legal action pending against you in the Delhi excise policy case?

The trial has not yet begun. The cases were booked out of political vendetta, solely to weaken the BRS. It happened by design. As a woman, I will fight it out till I get justice. I can already access my passport, with court permission, to go abroad.

Who is responsible for your ouster from the BRS?

Obviously, the coterie around my father. It [the letter] was an entirely private communication between me and my father. It was [based on] public reactions to the goings on in the party. What was supposed to be an internal party communication was made public domain by the coterie by design.

Did you face resistance from the party when you held programmes demanding 42% reservation to backward classes (BC) without its permission?

That was my strong decision to go ahead as a woman, because it can empower women: it can create a sub-quota for women within the overall BC reservation. I will not leave the demand until it is achieved.

Do you miss your father? 
[Smiles, then looks visibly sad.] Yes, as a daughter. But no, if I want to go to the public.