Hyderabad: Former MP and daughter of BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao, Kalvakuntla Kavitha, on Saturday announced the launch of her party — Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS). By reclaiming the acronym once synonymous with her father’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Kavitha has signalled not just defiance but a direct challenge to KCR’s legacy, setting the stage for a bitter father-daughter clash.Sources said the new name will be registered with the Election Commission soon. While the application must be submitted within 30 days of the party being formed, it takes between three and six months to complete the process. BRS leaders, on the other hand, told TOI they would raise an objection with the commission against allotting the ‘TRS’ title to Kavitha.At a massive rally in Muneerabad on Hyderabad’s outskirts, Kavitha unveiled the TRS flag but stayed away from BRS’s pink, choosing instead a gold background with the map of Telangana in indigo. The acronym ‘TRS’ is splashed boldly across.Suspended from the BRS in Sept 2025 on charges of ‘anti-party’ activities, she had initially floated the idea of Telangana Praja Jagruthi before settling on TRS — a decision kept tightly under wraps until the launch.The symbolism is not lost on observers. The BRS has long petitioned the EC to avoid allotting symbols resembling its iconic ‘car’ symbol, wary of confusion with independents. KCR rebranded the Telangana Rashtra Samithi as Bharat Rashtra Samithi in 2022, marking his bid to step beyond state politics and enter the national arena.Targets KCR’s transformationKavitha’s speech was a blistering critique of her father. She accused KCR of abandoning the ideals of the Telangana statehood movement, saying he had “become a robot” and allowed power to corrupt him. She recalled being shunted out of the party after raising corruption concerns in the Kaleshwaram project.“Saaru raaru (Sir KCR does not come out). When poor people’s houses were bulldozed by the govt in Velugumatla in Khammam and by HYDRAA, KCR did not come to express solidarity with the people. When farmers’ lands were taken over in Chevella, he did not come out,” she charged.She contrasted today’s KCR with the leader who once stood with Singareni workers and artisans. “What happened to love after formation of Telangana? Was affection lost after coming to power? The BRS lost its soul. He may be my father; that is a different issue,” she said.Kavitha also faulted KCR for blaming voters after Congress defeated the BRS. “If my children commit a mistake, would I abandon them?” she asked, calling his remarks politically immature and branding his governance “venomous.”A daughter’s warHer attack grew sharper as she accused KCR of chasing national ambitions while neglecting Telangana’s stalled projects. “If it were the KCR we knew during the agitation, he would have secured the Palamuru Rangareddy project. Instead, he went to Bihar, Bengal and other states to establish a national party as if he had already done something great in Telangana,” she declared.She also accused him of hypocrisy. “Now, he has kicked me out for calling out corruption in the Kaleshwaram project but is happily enjoying the company of those who were responsible for that corruption. KCR has lost control of his political statements. Therefore, I will fight him,” she said.Apology and renewalAcknowledging her own role in the ruling family, Kavitha offered an unconditional apology. “I feel bad for being part of it. I ask for the forgiveness of the people of Telangana. Having said that, I am proud to have contributed to the Telangana agitation, which made statehood a reality. While I accept that mistakes and crimes were committed by certain people, I believe an apology isn’t enough. To make up for it, we need to work hard once again to achieve ‘samajika (social) Telangana’. I, therefore, am launching the Telangana Rashtra Sena,” she announced.Kavitha said she had waited after her suspension, hoping for change, but found herself treated like many who sacrificed during the statehood movement.Vision of ‘mother’s rule’Outlining her vision, Kavitha said Telangana deserved a ‘mother’s rule (amma palana)’ — unconditional, considerate and giving.Her criticism was not reserved for her father alone. She tore into the Congress govt, describing chief minister Revanth Reddy as “Telangana’s evil and Hitler.” She cited demolitions, custodial deaths and Gurukul tragedies as evidence of neglect. “We will fight the Congress tooth and nail,” she vowed.The BJP too came under fire. Kavitha reminded the crowd that the party had opposed Telangana’s formation and accused its leaders of insulting the state’s emotions. “Recently, a brainless BJP MP compared the bifurcation of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to the Indo-Pakistan Partition. While the BJP leadership continues to insult Telangana, the eight MPs from the state remain silent,” she alleged.
