The Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be on the back foot in responding to the explosive allegations made by Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, who claimed there is a conspiracy to merge the BRS with the BJP.
While the BRS leadership has chosen to remain silent on Kavitha’s remarks, the BJP’s national leadership has also refrained from issuing any official response. This has left BJP leaders in Telangana in a tough spot, struggling to counter her claims effectively.
What has made matters worse for the BJP is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own statement during the May 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, where he publicly claimed that KCR had approached him with a proposal to join the NDA, which he had rejected. Kavitha’s fresh statements have gained further traction in light of that revelation.
The controversy has put Telangana BJP leaders in an awkward position, especially since they have long accused KCR and the BRS of corruption and misgovernance.
BJP state president and Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy attempted to shift the focus by challenging Kavitha to provide proof of any merger discussions.
“Let her come out with concrete evidence of any talks held regarding a merger with the BJP,” he said.
Reddy dismissed the issue as an internal BRS family dispute, referring to it as a "daddy-daughter" or "sister-brother" matter.
He criticized it as a quarrel over assets and positions and stated that the BJP would not involve itself in what he termed a political drama.
BJP MP from Medak, M Raghunandan Rao, called Kavitha’s remarks part of a larger BRS strategy to curb the BJP’s rise as a viable alternative to the ruling Congress in Telangana.
“The people have already given BRS a voluntary retirement. They no longer have faith in the party,” he said, adding that the BRS is now struggling to find candidates to contest future elections.
Raghunandan also accused the BRS of trying to “rebrand a worthless currency” by floating merger theories.
“The BJP has no interest in any such proposal. We are growing independently and steadily in Telangana,” he asserted, advising BRS leaders to settle their internal disputes without dragging the BJP into their mess.
