Kavitha's arrest before polls may hit BRS morale, hasten desertions; party to protest today

The arrest of K Kavitha, daughter of former chief minister and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao, a day before the Election Commission is set to announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections, may have some psychological impact on party workers.

Former minister T Harish Rao said at a press conference that the party will hold protests in the headquarters of all the assembly constituencies tomorrow.

The Enforcement Directorate arrested BRS leader K Kavitha today in Hyderabad in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

After the BRS's humiliating defeat in the November 30 assembly polls, the party is plagued by the desertion of sitting MPs and some leaders reportedly choosing not to contest in the Lok Sabha polls.

Kavitha's arrest came as a rude shock to the BRS which is already limping after losing power. Senior party leaders PTI spoke to, said on condition of anonymity, that the arrest of the prominent BRS leader will affect the morale of party members.

Earlier, the BRS MLC and former Lok Sabha member from Nizamabad had said she was ready to face any inquiry.

"We state that we will face any kind of inquiry. If the agencies come and ask us questions, we will certainly answer. But tarnishing leaders' images by giving selective leaks to the media; people will refute it," Kavitha had said.

Kavitha has chosen not to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. She lost to BJP's Arvind Dharmapuri in the 2019 polls in Nizamabad.

Political analyst S Nagesh Kumar expressed the opinion that the arrest of Kavitha could lead to more people deserting the party.

“It (the arrest) will definitely show an impact on the party because she is an important voice in the party and, moreover, she is KCR’s daughter. So there will be a sort of psychological impact on the party," he told PTI.

"No matter how big a person, they will have to pay the price for their actions, omissions or commissions,” he added.

Furthermore, he said, the arrest may also lead to an exodus of several leaders to other parties, fearing agencies such as ED and CBI.

Speaking to mediapersons after the arrest, Harish Rao said the action against Kavitha was a result of a conspiracy to target the BRS party. According to him, the arrest has come even as Kavitha's petition challenging the ED summons in the Supreme Court will be coming up on March 19.

“When the matter is being examined by the court and when the petition will come up in just three days, why should they arrest her?,” Harish Rao questioned.