Telangana Jagruthi president K. Kavitha defended her recent criticism of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and her father K. Chandrashekar Rao, asserting that her remarks were aimed at his political leadership and policies, not at him as a father.
At the ‘Meet the Press’ organised by the Telangana State Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) in Hyderabad on Saturday (May 2, 2026), Ms. Kavitha said she would continue to question the policies and failures of the previous BRS government while maintaining personal respect for KCR. “I have no problems with him as a father. I pray for him every day. But I have ideological differences with him and I will continue to criticise on policy matters,” she said, adding that the BRS was also free to criticise her politically.
Recently, Election Commission of India (ECI) cleared ‘Telangana Rakshana Sena’ as her party name for publication of public notice. Final approval is conditional to objections received.
Responding to criticism of her launching a political party, Ms. Kavitha questioned the gender bias in politics. “How can people question whether a woman can run a political party? Would they ask the same question if KCR’s son launched a new party?” she asked. She cited leaders such as Indira Gandhi, J. Jayalalithaa and Mamata Banerjee as examples of women who successfully led governments and political parties.
