Kavitha may be arrested in connection with a liquor scam: KCR

“My daughter Kavitha may be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate,” BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is said to have told the party executive at a meeting on Friday at Telangana Bhavan. “I have requested that K.T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao rush to Delhi to assist her.”

The CM told the meeting that they were not concerned about such arrests and would continue to fight the BJP. This put the BRS leaders on edge, but there appeared to be good news for the party on Friday, with Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramachandra Pillai filing an application to withdraw his statement to the ED about Kavitha.

Pillai moved the application before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court. The court issued a notice to the ED over Pillai’s plea. On March 7, the ED had arrested Pillai in the Delhi liquor scam. In its remand report, the ED stated that Pillai had confessed to be being a benami of Kavitha. Based on this, the ED had built its case against Kavitha. Pillai taking a U-turn, it was said, now cast a doubt over the progress of this case.

A battery of lawyers from the BRS legal cell rushed to Delhi on Friday to extend legal assistance to Kavitha prior to and after ED’s questioning. It is learnt that Kavitha is expected to reach the ED office after 10 am on Saturday.

The CM alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre was misusing central investigation agencies such as CBI, ED and the I-T department to target Opposition parties and ED’s notice to Kavitha was part of it.

“A few people are saying that Kavitha will be arrested in this case. Let them arrest her. We will not fear summons and arrests. We will continue to fight against the BJP until it is ousted from power at the Centre,” he reportedly said, according to party sources.

The CM said that the BJP government had targeted Telangana ministers, BRS MPs, MLAs, MLCs and MPs in the past few months using central agencies and now it was the turn of Kavitha.

“Central government raids, cases, and arrests will continue. There is no need to be alarmed. We will confront them both politically and legally. All moral and legal support will be extended by the party leadership to all leaders who will be victims of central agencies “Rao allegedly stated.

He claimed that the BJP government at the Centre was unable to digest Telangana’s rapid development in all sectors over the last eight years and was conspiring to stymie its growth.

“They are conducting CBI, ED, and I-T raids on our ministers, MLAs, MPs, and MLCs. Let us not despair. Let us fight together until the BJP is expelled from this country “Rao stated.