Rama Krishna Sangem
BRS MLC Kavitha Kalvakuntla, daughter of CM KCR will celebrate her 45th birthday March 13, Monday. At a time when she is supposed to spend time with family and followers in the party, Kavitha will be sparing her time with lawyers to prepare for upcoming face off with ED in Delhi in three days away. Suddenly, she has become the centre of attention of people not just in Telangana, but the entire country.
All eyes on her for what happens on March 16, next meeting with ED in the Delhi liquor scam – whether or not she will be arrested. If not on March 16, later? Her possible arrest or no arrest is one aspect of the big picture. How she will overcome the entire controversy? How this entire episode will affect her political career? How this will impact prospects of BRS in this year’s Assembly elections? – these are the other questions.
CM KCR has thrown his support behind her. He told a recent BRS meeting that the ruling BJP is after her because of her refusal to join the party. KCR sees ED cases against Kavitha as part of a plan to harass the opposition leaders in the country. Her brother and BRS working president KT Rama Rao said ED and PM Modi are inseparable. Dozens of ministers, MLAs and other party leaders stood behind Kavitha in this hour of crisis.
Turning Point to Kavitha
Definitely, this liquor scam is a turning point in Kavitha’s political career. How she will face it and how she will emerge unscathed from it and how she wins over the public perception are going to be the deciding factors. Known for her active public life and ambitions to grow in politics, Kavitha has earned good number of admirers as well as equal number of rivals too.
Kavitha, known for grit and perseverance in public life is an important leader in TRS (now BRS) since 2005-06. A BTech in computer science from a Hyderabad college, she went to the US for her MS and worked for sometime there, before returning home to join public life. Though she was assured a place in TRS then, Kavitha launched her own cultural outfit- Telangana Jagrithi, to mobilize people for the cause of separate statehood agitation led by KCR.
She published several books, and ran campaigns for revival of some historical monuments in Telangana through her Jagrithi. She built Jagrith not only in Telangana, but abroad too. Her single minded devotion for celebration of Bathukamma festival, a unique Telangana specific event earned her a name. Even after becoming an MP from Nizamabad in 2014, she never confined to the limited roles of a Lok Sabha member.
She canvassed for achieving an exclusive board for turmeric, a predominant crop in Nizamabad, for the sake of farmers. However, her defeat in 2019 LS elections is a shocker for not only her but to the entire TRS and her father KCR. That’s why, I said, she has sufficient number of rivals. But, that defeat hasn’t stopped her. Later, KCR made her an MLC from the local bodies constituency, covering Nizamabad.
Strong voice & Convivial
Though Kavitha always followed the party discipline and KCR’s dictates, she never kept quite, when there are issues to be spoken about. She spoke about lack of representation to women in the KCR’s Cabinet in the first term. Without sounding disrespectful to him, she made her point to this effect in several interviews to media. Though we cannot say, she is the sole reason for it, KCR later took two women into his Cabinet.
Kavitha is pushy and convivial in nature. She befriended with other leading women parliamentarians – like Supriya Sule of NCP or Kanimozhi of DMK etc. Ever since KCR has decided to expand TRS to the national level, Kavitha has been playing a role, assisting and coordinating things in Delhi. Today, she is a recognizable face in the national media and English TV channels.
Her face off with ED comes at an interest time -3 days after International Women’s day and 3 days after her Happy birthday. I think, she will contest the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024 from Nizamabad again, not the coming assembly elections. Which way the political consequences of this liquor scam go will also decide Kavitha’s political career. I can say one thing – being a fighter, she may not let go an opportunity in this hour of crisis.
