Both BJP and Congress try to stifle regional powers: K Kavitha | Exclusive interview

One month into launching her party, the Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS), K Kavitha is clear about who she is building it for, and what she is building it against.

Suspended from her father K Chandrashekar Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) with little in the name of an explanation, Kavitha is developing a political identity rooted in youth entrepreneurship, women's agency, southern regional pride and a deep suspicion of both Delhi's centralising instincts and Hyderabad's incumbent failures.

In an exclusive interview with Puthiya Thalaimurai, Kavitha argued that Telangana's young voters — the same generation that swept the Congress to power in November 2023 — are already disillusioned and looking for a credible alternative.

She also drew parallels to Vijay's win in Tamil Nadu. Many have told her that the TRS to Telangana is similar to what the TVK is to Tamil Nadu, she told Puthiya Thalaimurai, a sister concern of The Federal.

Edited excerpts:

You were a senior leader in the BRS. What led you to break away and launch your own party?

I did not choose to come out. They suspended me. Suspension is a very public humiliation for someone who has worked selflessly for the longest time. No procedure was followed. No explanation was sought. No communication whatsoever.

I could not stomach it. I immediately resigned from my party position and from the MLC position — I had almost three years of tenure left. I could have hung on like many people do. I did not, because I was never after power. I was always after my state's development. Once they chose to suspend me, I believed I should work on my own.

What led to that situation within the BRS?

That is a question for the BRS party, not for me. From my side, I worked in every election, I worked during the Telangana agitation. As far as I remember, I have never voted for anybody other than my father. This is the first time I will be seeking votes for myself. That is for the BRS party to introspect. To lose a good soldier is not good for the party.

In a largely male-dominated political landscape, what went through your mind when you decided to float your own party?

Worldwide, women are marginalised in politics. Even America, which claims to be so modern, has till date not produced a woman president. The world is biased towards men. That is why we need to fight the patriarchy with all we have got. I was pushed to a corner. But my heart is in serving the people of Telangana and I believe politics is the only way to do it.

NEET papers leak every year — if you cannot protect an exam paper, how do you trust this government with the country's defence secrets?

I have seen, when we were fighting for statehood, it was a political decision then to form a state or not. So we pushed very hard against the then Union government and state government. We achieved statehood. Once the state was formed, I was a part of the government. I was an MP. I knew and understood how power can really help people. Being in politics is power — whether you are in power or not. That is why I chose to float my own party.

But that power was not there when you had to go to jail. You had to face a lot of humiliation within your party...

I am saying power to help other people. When it comes to helping yourself, that does not matter because in the larger political equation in this country, Union governments have multiple times played with this idea of minimising the federalism concept. They have time and again tried to put down the state governments, marginalised the regional parties. That was the effort they made when they arrested me.

The fact of the matter is that the Union government is going to stifle regional parties. Now I myself am a regional party. I need to put up a fight with the Union government. I need to fight with the party in power. But what am I fighting for? The people of Telangana, the people of India, and the issues that I believe in. The Telangana movement taught me how to fight for people, how to stand with the people. So I am not going to give up. I will keep fighting.

You have spoken about how the Union government tries to stifle regional parties. But by entering the field, are you not splitting the anti-Congress, anti-BJP vote and actually helping the bigger parties?

No, see, when you say the Union government, it is not only the BJP, but even the Congress when it was in power. They always stifle regional power. You could be a leader who emerged within the Congress itself. They would not like regional personalities to grow. They always wanted a unitary kind of administration in the country so that the control would be in the hands of Delhi.

But then I believe the South always stood for regional pride, regional identity. And that is why we see so many political parties here. And I am very happy about the fact that Tamil Nadu has AIADMK, DMK, now Mr Vijay coming across. All are regional parties.

Andhra has the same — YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, N Chandrababu Naidu, Pawan Kalyan... Kerala has many parties. Unlike Karnataka, which suddenly gave way to Congress and BJP, the rest of the southern states have their own identity. In that sense, Telangana has the same fabric. So there is the BRS, and I will be there. The Congress and the BJP will come and go, is what I believe.

Also Read: K Kavitha launches ‘Telangana Rashtra Sena’, targets BRS over shift from regional agenda

The people of Telangana fought for this state for 60 years. We have it in our blood that regional power must remain with regional parties. There could be many faults with the BRS. There could be many faults with me tomorrow. But when a regional party is focused on the issues of the state, we have always seen development. Look at the difference between the South and the North — it is because regional parties are strong in the South.

Vijay's victory — does it give you hope?

Oh, it does. More than me, I think for the people of Telangana it gave very, very good hope. People now constantly tell me — like how Vijay won there, you are going to win here. TVK there, TRS here. That comparison is there. But I hope he lives up to the expectations of the youngsters who voted for him.

A US Senate model deserves serious consideration for the Rajya Sabha — equal representation for every state regardless of size.

Here in Telangana, the BRS lost because of youngsters. They campaigned in villages to bring the Congress to power. The Congress failed them within two-and-a-half years. Now the Congress is never going to recover in Telangana for the next 20 years. Mr Revanth Reddy has made sure of that. So, if you promise youngsters something, you better deliver.

Can star power alone win elections?

Star power will pull the crowd. But how do you hold the crowd? People take voting very seriously. Mr Vijay has star power, he might have pulled the crowds — but he would not have won if he did not have the right agenda. And if he does not perform in the next few years, it will be difficult.

We are already seeing that with Mr Revanth Reddy. He promised two lakh jobs per year. Two-and-a-half years hence, he has managed only 60,000 notifications. Not jobs filled — just notifications. Student union leaders from Congress's own NSUI are joining the TRS. They say they are utterly disappointed.

So young voters do not wait long?

Not really. When you promise two lakh jobs a year, you have to start preparing. Not even one single step has been taken in that direction. Youngsters are smart. They know that if you have not started preparing for it, you cannot do it. Even Mr Vijay, if he has to deliver, has to move in the right direction. People will give you six months, one year, even-one-and-a-half years. But if you are not travelling in the right direction by then, they will know you bluffed them.

What are you offering youngsters that others are not?

Every government since Independence has promised jobs. I am saying — why not become someone who creates jobs? I want to form youth empowerment groups and give them loans the way we give women self-help groups. Any young man or woman graduating from college, with bright ideas...which bank in India will give them a loan? I want to support them.

From Rs 2 lakh to Rs 20 crore, without bank intervention, I want to trust and invest in my youngsters. If one Google comes out of that investment, it is all taken care of. Mr Modi has waived Rs 12 lakh crore trusting business people. How many jobs did they create? Now I want to trust my youngsters. Let us see how much they create. The first venture, the first job, if a guy or girl cracks it, the confidence they get, they will do anything in life. That confidence I want to give.

What about the Instagram-savvy 18-to-20 age group — are you going after them?

I am. I want to divide youth into two categories — 18 to 29, and 29 to 40. Funding should start from 18. Today you are trying young adults for crimes from 16 years. So a 19-year-old can definitely have a business plan. And do not assume they are simply staring at screens and swiping. They are into a lot of activism. They are more inclined towards the truth. What they hear in college, they will say the same thing in the pub at night and in their parents' house too.

They might seem rude, but the point is they do not put filters on. If that can be channelised positively, why not?

So the Instagram crowd and you will go after them aggressively?

First, what is wrong with being on Instagram? Second, you think they are simply staring at the screen and swiping. No, they are not. They are into a lot of activism. They are better than many of us who do not talk about issues, who are afraid of raising issues. What they hear in college, they will say the same thing in the pub at night and they will say the same thing at home too. They might seem rude, but the point is they are more inclined towards truth.

I am in discussions with world leaders on how to make Telangana stand on its own feet given a Union government that tries to stall state growth. I have my agenda set. I am not going back.

And I think so were we when we were young. But somewhere, a lot of social burden and a lot of filters came in between, where you screen and speak. They do not need to. They are in such an age. And if that can be channelised in a positive way, why not?

Do you see Gen Z becoming a political force, with movements like the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), as a sign of a political revolution?

I think the CJP is the youth venting their anger against a statement made by a judge. Will it turn into a very channelised, proper force that will bring about a revolution in India? I cannot say right now. But we have seen this happen during JP's time, during the Emergency period, where student agitations started in Gujarat and shook the whole nation. They overthrew the Emergency. They overthrew Indira Gandhi, who was the Iron Lady at that time.

So India is known for revolutions. We are just forgetting it. Now we have a technology base that can showcase what is happening everywhere. Reaction is instant. We think it is something new, but it is not. I come from Telangana. We fought for a state for 60 years. And if a revolution can be sustained for so long and ultimately lead to victory, then I am sure we are meant to do bigger things.

You mention language rights, anti-Hindi imposition, delimitation — are these going to be central to your politics?

They should be. UPSC gives Hindi an unfair advantage. NEET papers leak every year — if you cannot protect an exam paper, how do you trust this government with the country's defence secrets?

And now CBSE has suddenly announced, with 15 days' notice, that a third language is compulsory from June 1. There will not be enough teachers for southern languages, so Hindi becomes the default. That is how imposition works — not with a proclamation but with policy. Mr Stalin raised the point that Rs 2,500 crore was spent on Sanskrit development while all southern languages together got only Rs 170 crore. The bias is clear. Language and culture will be a central part of the TRS manifesto.

On delimitation — how do you see a way forward?

Population alone cannot be the metric. A US Senate model deserves serious consideration for the Rajya Sabha — equal representation for every state regardless of size. Right now, UP has many seats, Sikkim has one. In a federal setup that claims to treat states equally, that is not acceptable.

Increase MLA seats if you want, tied to population — but MP seats must not be decided by population alone. The South will lose political influence despite contributing heavily to the national economy. Mr Naidu is right now a crucial ally at the Centre. If he takes the lead on this, I think we will get a better outcome.

What is your core constituency?

Definitely women, definitely youngsters. The rest will follow when they believe you are going to make it. In the heart of every Telangana woman today, they want me to succeed. They say — "All of us face similar problems, but we do not have the arena or the audacity to come out and express it. You are doing it. We see ourselves in you."

I do not have the machinery to gather women from all 119 constituencies. They themselves are coming to me.

Also Read: Telangana’s 'Future City': New economic growth engine or real-estate dream?

What is your timeline?

I am definitely looking at 2028. I am working on a very important social and financial transformation plan for Telangana — I will be announcing it soon. I am in discussions with world leaders on how to grow the state's own revenues, how to make Telangana stand on its own feet given a Union government that tries to stall state growth. I have my agenda set. I am not going back.

An analyst had said Vijay's campaign had an impact beyond Tamil Nadu's borders. How do you look at this?

What I liked most about Mr Vijay's campaign was that he was not harsh on any party. He did not use expletives or foul language towards his opponents. He conveyed a point. Because, as a woman, that is what I do.

That is why they are comparing me with him. They say — "You also speak clean, he also speaks clean, you are also continuously among people with a clear agenda, like him." So that is why they are saying "TVK, TRS". I am happy. I hope it comes true.