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Following her resignation from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and her post as MLC, Telangana leader K Kavitha on Wednesday, September 3, accused senior BRS leaders Harish Rao and J Santosh Kumar of illegally tapping her phone, as well as those of her associates and members of her brother KT Rama Rao’s (KTR) team.
Kavitha made the allegations while speaking to reporters at the Telangana Jagruthi office, a day after her suspension from the party over alleged ‘anti-party’ activities. The daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) framed her resignation as part of a broader stand against what she described as internal surveillance and corruption.
Also Read: KCR suspends daughter Kavitha from BRS over ‘anti-party’ activities
In a candid interaction with the media, Kavitha went on record to state that alongside the phones of four of her housekeeping staff, she was certain that Santosh and her cousin Harish Rao were monitoring her and KTR.
“My father isn’t the kind of person to tap phones. But both Harish Rao and Santosh have been involved in tapping phones to further their own political interests,” she alleged. Harish Rao is a former BRS minister, while Santosh Kumar, KCR’s nephew by marriage and managing director of the party’s mouthpiece Namasthe Telangana, is considered KCR’s right-hand man.
The allegations come against the backdrop of a broader investigation. In June, the SIT questioned former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Praneeth Rao, accused in a phone tapping scandal that allegedly took place when the BRS was in power between 2018 and 2024.
Kavitha also accused Harish Rao of receiving kickbacks in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scam. “My father KCR was trapped in the irregularities because of Harish Rao. He alone was responsible. During the 2018 Assembly elections, he ensured funding for around 20 MLAs. This wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t made money from kickbacks from Kaleshwaram,” she added.