The acquittal of Telangana Jagruti president Kalvakuntla Kavitha by a CBI special court in the Delhi liquor policy case is learnt to have led to a discussion within the Bharat Rashtra Samithi on whether the party had done a mistake by distancing her.
According to sources close to the party, many leaders are said to be of the view that had Kavitha been allowed to continue in the party and given due respect as KCR’s daughter, the latest judgement would have come as a big morale booster to the party and improved its image among the public.
Party insiders acknowledge that the development has forced leaders to reassess the party’s public positioning during the peak of the controversy.
When the liquor case first surfaced, BRS leaders publicly defended Kavitha, terming the investigation politically motivated.
However, after her arrest and subsequent release on bail, her prominence within party structures reportedly diminished.
Several leaders went beyond political criticism and made personal remarks linking her directly to alleged corruption.
For instance, former minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy made disparaging comments against Kavitha alleging her involvement in the liquor case.
Similarly, Kukatpally MLA Madhavaram Krishna Rao, also accused Kavitha of tarnishing the party’s image from Telangana to Delhi. These remarks were widely circulated in political circles and media platforms at the time.
With the Delhi court now granting her a clean chit, party leaders privately admit that the earlier aggressive stance has placed the BRS in a politically awkward position.
Observers within the party suggest that while ideological or organisational disagreements could have been addressed internally, publicly asserting criminal culpability has now rebounded.
Kavitha had earlier alleged that a senior leader within the party orchestrated attempts to sideline her politically.
In this context, a tweet by K T Rama Rao made further damage to the party, as he described that BRS had suffered heavily in the elections due to Kavitha’s involvement in liquor case.
Political analysts note that the episode may have longer-term implications for intra-party cohesion, especially within the extended political family of KCR.