Telangana Jagruthi president Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Friday virtually dropped a political bombshell, hinting that she may name her proposed new party “Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)” — the original name of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) founded by her father K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).
Kavitha’s remarks, made during an informal interaction with the media and later at a press conference in Hyderabad, are being seen as a direct political challenge not only to the ruling Congress in Telangana, but also to the BRS leadership headed by her father.
She said that the name “TRS – Telangana Rashtra Samithi” is currently available with the Election Commission of India and could be used for her proposed political outfit.
According to her, reviving the old name would reconnect with Telangana sentiment and the original ideological spirit of the statehood movement.
When asked what a “new flag under the old name” would look like, Kavitha said the party’s visual identity would be different and clarified that the new flag would not feature the pink colour traditionally associated with the TRS/BRS.
She also revealed that a special team is already working on the party registration process, indicating that preparations for the launch are already underway.
While Kavitha said the Congress would be the primary political enemy of her new party, her remarks also included some of her sharpest criticism yet of the BRS, suggesting that her new outfit could directly cut into the support base of her former party.
Describing the BRS as a “rich party,” she said her proposed organisation would not have the kind of financial resources the BRS currently enjoys.
She also alleged that the BRS is in a “sleeping mode” and has lost touch with the movement-oriented politics that once brought it to power.
In one of her strongest comments, Kavitha accused the BRS of moving away from its original Telangana roots, and suggested that the party had become politically compromised and disconnected from grassroots struggles.
Trying to draw a clear ideological line between her proposed party and the BRS, Kavitha said her new organisation would be guided by the ideals of Professor K. Jayashankar, widely regarded as the chief ideologue of the Telangana movement.
Without naming anyone directly, she remarked that “there are no Bihar ideologues in our party,” a statement widely seen as aimed at critics who have accused the BRS of diluting its Telangana-centric identity over time.
She said her proposed party would remain firmly rooted in the Telangana statehood movement, and announced that on the day of its launch, party leaders would visit the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the formation of the state.
Kavitha added that activists who participated in the Telangana movement are likely to be present on the launch stage, underlining her effort to reclaim the movement’s legacy.
She said the new party would provide significant representation to youth and position itself as a platform for fresh political participation.
Kavitha also stressed the importance of women’s reservation, calling it a “great opportunity” both for her and for the party. She said she sees women-centric electoral changes as a major opening for her political future.
Claiming that there is often an emotional connect among voters towards women candidates, she said there is a natural sentiment among the electorate to “vote for a daughter of the soil.”
She said she intends to build the party from the village level upwards, and insisted that hard work and grassroots engagement would be the foundation of her political journey.
The Telangana Jagruthi leader said she has not yet taken a final decision on where she would contest from, but indicated that Siddipet is one of the constituencies under consideration.
She also said she would consider contesting from Gajwel if it is reserved for women in the future.
She further noted that several constituencies in Nizamabad district could potentially come under women’s reservation, which may alter political calculations in the region.
Kavitha made it clear that leaders from other political parties would not be invited to the launch event, signalling that she wants the launch to be seen as an independent and movement-driven political initiative, rather than a coalition show.
At the same time, she said there would be political joinings both before and after the party’s formation, and claimed that even people living abroad have already expressed interest in joining.
She predicted that once the party’s full agenda is unveiled, it would trigger large-scale political realignment and a fresh wave of membership enrolment.
