PM Targets KCR's Daughter Kavitha With Punches

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's party today, amidst reports suggesting that the Bharat Raksha Samithi (BRS) is inclining towards the BJP.

While addressing BJP workers in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the state elections, PM Modi said, "If you want the welfare of the Karunanidhi family, then vote for DMK. If you want the welfare of K Chandrashekhar Rao's daughter, then vote for BRS. But if you want the welfare of your sons, daughters, and grandchildren, then vote for BJP."

The ongoing case against K Kavitha, connected to an alleged excise policy scam in Delhi, is viewed by many as a factor influencing the BRS's softened stance towards the BJP.

This change in stance has reportedly displeased a section of BRS leaders, many of whom, according to sources, are now flocking to the Congress.

Ahead of the state elections scheduled for later this year, 35 key BRS leaders, led by former BRS leader Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former state minister Jupally Krishna Rao, have already met with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

Last week, the BRS ended its two-year boycott of Central meetings and participated in the all-party meeting on the Manipur situation. This shift in their longstanding stance has fueled speculation about a possible understanding between the BJP and the BRS.

Earlier this month, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who was once one of the Prime Minister's harshest critics, even referred to him as a "good friend" at a party event.

Over the weekend, as the opposition held its strategy meeting in Patna, KCR's son, KT Rama Rao, who is a state minister, visited Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

On Sunday, KT Rama Rao criticized the opposition's unity efforts, stating, "The fight against the BJP should be based on fundamental issues concerning the country. Unfortunately, we seem to be losing sight of that. We appear to be preoccupied with displacing someone or putting somebody in power, and that should not be the agenda. The agenda should be how to address the country's core priorities," as quoted by news agency Press Trust of India.

While K Kavitha was named in two chargesheets in the excise case, her name has been dropped from the third chargesheet filed in April.