‘Remember the name: Telangana Rashtra Sena’ — With new party, Kavitha revives TRS name, takes on KCR and rivals

As she launched the party, her X handle which has 1.3 million followers came alive, posting, “Remember the name: Telangana Rashtra Sena. We refuse to back down, come what may; It is time the people of Telangana have their say. We will not let our aspirations decay; Be reduced to ashes if you dare come in our way. Your time is done, our time is now”.

On Saturday, Kavitha started the day with a private puja at her residence in Hyderabad. She then travelled to Gunpark to pay floral tributes to martyrs at the Telangana martyrs memorial. At a convention centre in Munirabad, of medchal mandal in Telangana, about 50 kilometers from Hyderabad, Telangana folk songs played and dancers grooved to the fast beats.

As Kavitha has hopes to carve a space for herself as a woman leader in a male dominated political landscape, those who surrounded her were women of different backgrounds – from ST Lambadas to Muslim women in hijab. The launch started with a reminder that Kavitha has been part of the Telangana agitation for decades. A video played of Kavitha participating in Telangana agitation which had peaked in 2009, as she seated herself confidently among her party workers.

Kavitha made it clear that she will be wooing the BRS vote base, even as she launched a scathing attack on her father K Chandhrashekar Rao and the incumbent Congress government led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. “KCR (as Rao is popularly known) has changed and is no longer the leader he was before,” said Kavitha. “This is not our KCR but a different KCR,” she said. She pointed out that KCR has not been appearing in public and “has not been attending to any of the people’s issues”. She said, “KCR isn’t the same anymore. The KCR of the past cared about people, fought for the people, and got their problems solved. His heart was in the right place. Power corrupted him. I do not say this out of pain”.

Speaking at the launch, Kavitha said that she will be focusing on five points – good education, healthcare, agriculture, livelihood and social justice for the people of the state. Kavitha also made five pledges on the occasion — free education even in private schools, free medical treatment for any illness including chronic diseases, farmer’s welfare, four lakh jobs within a year of coming to power, and social justice. She called these initiatives Panchajanya of Lord Krishna.

Stating that the people of Telangana will vote her to power, she said that there will be “mother’s rule” in the state, soon. “A mother’s rule is unconditional, considerate, and giving. Nothing can be as unconditional as a mother. A mother doesn’t just consider problems; she looks at the child’s needs. When governance is carried out with the spirit of motherhood, the heart breaks when people suffer. I want to stand by and uplift every single person in Telangana like a mother would,” she said.