In Kavitha’s crosshairs, key BRS faces, KCR nephews: Who are Harish Rao, Santosh Kumar | Political Pulse News

Harish Rao

Harish Rao, 53, joined politics as a young leader in 2001 when KCR formed the BRS (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi). Harish, son of KCR’s sister, was first elected as an MLA from Siddipet (then in united Andhra Pradesh) in 2004, and has held the seat since.

During the peak of the Telangana agitation in 2009-2010, he was among the BRS MLAs and MPs who resigned to step up their demand for statehood.

After the BRS stormed to power in the 2014 Assembly polls following the creation of the separate Telangana state, Harish was inducted in the KCR’s first Cabinet as the Minister for Irrigation and Legislative Affairs.

In the BRS’s second term as the CM, which begun in 2018, Harish was initially dropped from his Cabinet and given a charge in the party organisation, triggering speculations about him being sidelined in favour of his cousin and BRS working president K T Rama Rao, KCR’s son.

However, given his statewide grassroots connections, he was re-inducted into the KCR Cabinet and given the crucial portfolios of Finance, Health and Family Welfare.

“Harish Rao is not just a loyal soldier of our party, he is the very backbone of KCR’s leadership and the BRS movement right from its inception. The way he debunked the false, politically-motivated allegations made by the Congress government against KCR and the Kaleshwaram project has electrified the cadre, silenced critics, and reassured the people. His clarity, conviction and rebuttal have exposed the Congress lies on the floor of the Assembly,” claimed BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan while speaking to The Indian Express.

As Irrigation Minister, Harish Rao oversaw the implementation of the KLIP and was said to have ensured speedy land acquisition for the project. An advocate of fair water allocation to Telangana post-bifurcation, he vocally pitched for redesigning of irrigation projects to maximise water use in the state by focusing on desilting and strengthening tank bunds.

He also announced that the BRS would move the Supreme Court to challenge Andhra Pradesh’s Banakacherla-Godavari project, citing prior environmental and technical rejections.

A popular leader among the BRS cadre, Harish’s attempts to revive traditional water sources through Mission Kakatiya reportedly benfited the agriculture sector in the state. He also pushed for completion of the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme.

As Finance Minister, Harish pressed for the timely release of funds under the BRS government’s flagship Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima schemes, which were credited with ensuring a second term for the party. The KCR Kits scheme – which provided financial and medical support for pregnant women and was later expanded to cover post-natal care – was also said to be his brainchild.

Harish served as the Health Minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, where he oversaw testing preparedness and vaccination drives besides setting up oxygen generation plants in government hospitals across the state. He also promoted basti dawakhanas (neighbourhood clinics) in urban areas.

Since the BRS was ousted from power in the 2023 Assembly polls, Harish has been at the forefront of attacking the Reddy government on various issues within and outside the Assembly. He defended the previous KCR government over the alleged KLIP scam while hitting back the Congress government over farmer issues like “shortage of urea” and “lack of compensation for crop damage”.

His political career has, however, also been marked with controversies. He has had to repeatedly clarify his loyalty to the BRS amid his “power struggle with KTR”. “After KCR, Harish is the tallest leader that the BRS has. However, the KCR family equations have led to questions over his loyalty. Despite all this, he remains committed to the BRS,” said a senior party leader close to him.

A row surrounded Harish even during the recent BRS plenary in Elkathurthy. While he was initially made the in-charge of the event, he was later stripped of this responsibility over differences with party leaders. The absence of his images from the event-related party paraphernalia and the buzz about his meeting with TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu put a question mark over his continuance in the BRS. “It was no secret that he was upset but whether he met Naidu is still unclear. It is very possible that he decided to stay with the BRS as he could not garner the support of enough MLAs,” party sources said.

Harish’s name also cropped up in the illegal phone tapping case where it was alleged that while in power he, along with senior BRS leaders, ordered unauthorised surveillance of their political rivals. In March, an FIR was registered against him in this regard, which was subsequently quashed by the Telangana High Court.

Santosh Kumar

Known as KCR’s “right hand man”, Santosh Kumar, 48, is a senior BRS leader, who has also been associated with the party since its inception. He is son of KCR’s wife’s sister.

Santosh currently serves as the managing director of Telugu daily “Namasthe Telangana”. He was said to have got close to KCR after he and KTR stayed together as students in Pune.

BRS general secretary Santosh was a Rajya Sabha MP between 2016 and 2022. “Santosh Kumar has been a key member of the party but he was not active in politics before the BRS assumed power in 2014. Since then, his stature has only grown. Anyone, including KTR, needs to check with Santosh about KCR’s availability. Since the BRS government’s first term began, he has been a part of crucial meetings and has had a say in various appointments that the party make,” a BRS insider said, adding that “Santosh Kumar is with KCR round-the-clock as his personal secretary”.

Another BRS leader said Santosh’s “dedication and loyalty” and his “fearless defense” of KCR and the party make him “one of the most trusted BRS leaders”.

Before his plunge into active politics, Santosh had launched the Green India Challenge, a nationwide tree plantation drive, after being inspired by the then KCR government’s Haritha Haram programme. He also bagged the “Green idol award” last year for his “contribution to environmental conservation”.

Last year, Kumar was booked in a land grabbing case by the Hyderabad police, which accused him of illegally occupying 904 square yards of land in the city. He denied the allegations, saying that the purchase was legal and that there were no disputes over the property.

Despite being a key leader in the BRS camp, the ongoing tussle within the KCR family seems to have affected Santosh’s political standing too. “With KCR being forced to tackle these rifts, it is likely that either Harish Rao or KTR may be given more importance in the party,” sources said.