Telangana: Why BJP And Congress Accuse Each Other Of Having A 'Setting' With BRS Following K Kavitha's Bail

K Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief, K Chandrasekhar Rao, was granted bail by the Supreme Court yesterday (27 August).

She had been lodged in Tihar Jail since her arrest in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case in March 2024.

Kavitha is accused of being part of the ‘South Group’ which allegedly paid a Rs 100 crore bribe to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and other Aam Aadmi Party leaders.

The bribe was reportedly in exchange for a favourable excise policy that would generate significant profits for the group.

Congress And BJP Attack Each Other After Bail Was Granted 

Following her release, the Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of having a 'setting' with the BRS, suggesting that the bail was a step towards the potential merger of the weakened BRS with the BJP. While rumours of such a merger have been circulating for some time, both parties have denied it.

This brought back memories of the 2023 assembly elections, during which the BJP was accused of having colluded with the BRS to not arrest Kavitha even when others implicated in the scam were taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The situation had escalated to the point that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to publicly address the issue in one of his rallies.

This allegation is considered to be one of the reasons for the party’s rather underwhelming performance, given that the Congress was nowhere in the picture in Telangana, until it regained its mojo post the Karnataka election win.

In response, the BJP claimed it was the Congress that had reached an understanding with the BRS, citing the recent Rajya Sabha elections as evidence.

BJP leaders also questioned why the defection of BRS MLAs and MLCs to the Congress suddenly stopped, implying that KCR might have made a deal to protect his party.

With Elections Not Around The Corner, None Of The Parties Are Likely To Benefit

The BRS, as would be expected from it, celebrated Kavitha’s release and said that justice had prevailed. 

However, according to political commentators, it would not be easy for the party to convince people that she is innocent.

They add that it has not been too long since the BRS was removed from power due to widespread dissatisfaction and that the same feeling clearly continued in the Lok Sabha elections with the party failing to win a single seat.  

With no election coming soon, the release is also unlikely to have a big impact on the state’s politics. So none of the parties stand to benefit much.

People are likely to see it as part of a larger pattern. After Kejriwal’s interim bail, the doors were opened for others. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Sisodia soon got relief from the Supreme Court.

Singhvi The Real Winner? 

Amidst all this, the real winner appears to be Singhvi.

Although there is no proof of a deal between the Congress and BRS for his election, he has no doubt gained favour with the latter, a political opponent in the state, and also secured a Rajya Sabha seat after his embarrassing defeat in Himachal Pradesh, where his own party men cross-voted in favour of the BJP candidate.