Kavitha Kalvakuntla, TRS MLC and daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has announced that she will file a defamation suit against BJP leaders who alleged that she was involved in the Delhi excise policy case. The defamation suit will be filed against BJP MP Parvesh Verma and former MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who had on Sunday, August 21, linked CM KCR to the ongoing row over the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, claiming his family members attended meetings on its formulation at a five-star hotel in Delhi. Verma had also alleged that Telangana CM KCR's daughter K Kavitha acted as an intermediary between the liquor mafia and the AAP government. Kavitha said that she will also move the court seeking an injunction against those making these allegations.
Addressing the media on Monday, August 22, Kavitha asserted that the allegations made against her were completely baseless, adding that she had nothing to do with the alleged liquor policy scam and the investigation into it. She alleged that the BJP was rattled by CM KCR’s criticism of the Union government and was trying to malign their family’s reputation through the allegations.
“The allegations made on me by BJP people are completely baseless…KCR has been vocal in criticising the policies of the BJP government. Rattled by these allegations by KCR, BJP is trying to malign the reputation of our family…Nothing is going to come out of baseless allegations. Today you are in power, you want to use agencies, media, and everything possible to curtail the voice of the opposition. You are messing with the wrong people,” Kavitha said. “They have all the agencies in their hands, they can do whatever investigation is required. We will completely cooperate,” she added.
She said that there was an unhealthy trend across the nation of vengeful politics, targetting opposition parties and mudslinging with baseless allegations. “They think if they defame KCR’s daughter, maybe KCR will get worried and step back from taking on the Union government. These attempts are futile. They’re trying to mentally wear down KCR. Several allegations have been made against KCR and his family, even during the Telangana agitation, but we have always fought on behalf of the people,” Kavitha said. “When we question the government on the Bilkis Bano case and other issues, there’s no response. Instead, making such allegations against the opposition is not right,” she said.
Parvesh Verma had said Telangana has a "similar" excise policy and alleged that it has been implemented in West Bengal too. "Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao's family members attended meetings on the formulation of the Delhi excise policy at Oberoi Hotel. KCR's family members got the same policy implemented in Punjab. They prepared a plan for Delhi, along with Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal," Verma had alleged.
The BJP MP further said that the Delhi government's excise policy was formulated in a suite of Oberoi Hotel in the city where meetings were held. “These meetings were attended by deputy CM Manish Sisodia, excise commissioner, excise department officials, some liquor mafias, and KCR's family members, among others. The first instalment of Rs 150 crore of the deal was given to Sisodia to increase the commission of liquor mafia by 10%,” he alleged.
K Kavitha is a member of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which is the ruling party in Telangana and serves as a member of the Legislative Council from Kamareddy and Nizamabad. There was no reaction from TRS on the allegations. Delhi BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa also addressed the media and alleged that KCR's daughter K Kavitha attended meetings in the five-star hotel on the excise policy in Delhi. “She (Kavitha) was the one who brought liquor mafias from south India to Delhi. Advance money was paid for Goa and Punjab elections,” Sirsa alleged.
Verma demanded that Sisodia should come clean on the various allegations and apologise to the people for the scam. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday raided 31 locations, including Sisodia's residence in connection with the irregularities in the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22. Sisodia is among 13 people named as accused in an FIR registered by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of the excise policy.
Sirsa also accused the AAP government of providing benefits to liquor barons and alleged that it increased the commission of one of the liquor mafias from two per cent to 12% without giving any valid reasons. The BJP leader also alleged that there was no auction done for the wholesale liquor licences. Sirsa said that along with the meetings at the Oberoi Hotel in Delhi, meetings of these liquor mafias were also held at the Hyatt Hotel in Chandigarh. After these meetings, AAP leaders implemented the same liquor policy in Delhi and Punjab, which is already being followed in Telangana, Sirsa claimed.
The CBI has also named two companies in the FIR. The CBI's raids last week came as Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had last month recommended a probe by the agency into the alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses in the implementation of the policy that came into effect on November 17 last year. The Delhi government withdrew the excise policy in July after Saxena recommended the probe.
Reacting to Look Out Circulars issued by CBI against eight persons named in the FIR registered in the excise policy "scam" case, the BJP leader said two accused in the case fled the country as soon as the CBI started probing the matter. "The Look Out Circular has been issued to prevent others from fleeing," he said. Verma also alleged Sisodia and his wife spent around Rs 22 lakh on treatment at private hospitals between 2014 and 2021, not availing services of government hospitals. No immediate reaction was available on this from the Aam Aadmi Party.
With PTI inputs