Telangana Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy added fuel to the phone-tapping scandal by alleging that the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government tapped the phone of K Kavitha, daughter of former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). Even more startling, Reddy claimed the order came from her brother and BRS Working President, KT Rama Rao (KTR).
The allegation emerged amid a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and BRS over claims that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is monitoring his own cabinet ministers.
Responding sharply to those allegations, Kiran Kumar Reddy claimed, “KTR got his own sister’s phone tapped when they were in power. How low can one go?”
WHO’S WHO IN THE BRS FAMILY TREE
Founded in 2001 as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) by KCR, the party played a pivotal role in the formation of Telangana state in 2014. It was renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in 2022 as part of its national ambitions. The BRS governed Telangana until its defeat by Congress in the 2023 Assembly elections.
KTR, widely viewed as KCR’s political successor, serves as the party’s Working President. Kavitha, his sister, is a former Lok Sabha MP and currently a member of the Telangana Legislative Council. While both have publicly presented a united political front, recent reports suggest strains within the family and the party.
PHONES, POLITICS AND ACCUSATIONS
The Congress allegation came in response to KTR’s recent charge that CM Revanth Reddy had ordered surveillance on Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other ministers.
However, Vikramarka himself denied the claim, saying, “I don’t believe any such thing is happening.”
The Congress was quick to retaliate. “Before pointing fingers at us, look at your own history,” Kiran Kumar Reddy said, spotlighting the alleged surveillance of Kavitha.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR BRS?
The BRS is already facing scrutiny, with a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing claims that during its tenure, the Intelligence Department tapped the phones of journalists, opposition leaders, and even Union ministers.
Now, with allegations of internal spying involving family members, the party finds itself at the center of yet another controversy — one that threatens to expose deeper rifts within Telangana’s most influential political family.
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