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Kalvakuntla Kavitha Rao, Telugu Rashtra Samiti Member of Parliament from Nizamabad constituency of Telangana, is unfazed by the challenge of filling the big shoes of her almost legendary father, the relentless and successful fighter for Telangana statehood and the state’s first Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Sworn in last year, her short term in Parliament has not been without controversy, most recently for saying that Telangana and Jammu & Kashmir were “forcefully annexed” by India. But Rao appears to have the political chops to mend fences, even praising the Modi government, which has her on its radar as a politician it can work with.
Kavitha Rao, 37, has a somewhat unusual background for a politician. A science nerd of sorts, she studied at Hyderabad’s Stanley Girls High School, got her B. Tech from Vallurupalli Nageswara Rao Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, then joined the Masters in computer science program at the University of Southern Mississippi. She also operated a string of beauty salons at one time. Rao is married to Devanapalli Anil Kumar, and the couple has two sons, Aaditya, 12, and Aarya, 8. She’s here in the United States on a three-week visit to strengthen ties with overseas Telugus and build alliances with American universities. She Rao spoke to Ela Dutt April 19, about the hopes, dreams and achievements as well as the trials and tribulations of Telangana and its people.
Q. You were sworn in as an MP in June last year – so it’s almost a year in parliament. There was speculation this February, less than a year of your term in New Delhi, that you were to be inducted into the Modi government’s Council of Ministers, possibly in April according to some news reports. Where is that possibility today and has anything happened on that front?
A. Well, we’ll wait and watch what happens. These are just news reports. There has been no communication between the parties. But I feel very good to be considered worthy of this position even though it is still speculation.
Q. What are your views about the creation of the new Telangana state and its future? Your father’s life, and much of yours too has been dedicated to the creation of a separate Telangana state.
A. This is not a new state. A state was already there but we did not have the access to resources. And as we agitated, now we have access to the resources. Today, we are number two in terms of per capita income among states in India. We knew always that Telangana had the resources but not the access to them. Now the people of Telangana are able to control the money and resources, distribute the wealth and create the kind of social services that we want our people to have. One example of using our resources is Warangal district which has become an education hub. Now the Chief Minister wants it to be a textile hub as well. Initiatives like this help percolate the wealth to the people. This is what has changed. We are trying to change things for the better in the other poor districts as well.
Q. Were you familiar with the Telugu community here in the United States?
A. I lived in the United States some years ago when I came to study here. I studied in both Woodbridge, New Jersey, and also in Mississippi. In Mississippi I was doing a Masters in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. But unfortunately, I did not get to finish it. I also interned with a NASA (affiliate) while I was studying.
When I went back to India in 2004, I jumped into the Telangana movement and formed a nonprofit called Telangana Jagruthi and worked with the people at the grassroots.
Politics is a different ballgame altogether (from academia). It is difficult but I’m from a political family so I understand what it takes to be there. The pressure is manageable.
Q. What role did Telugus in the United States play in the formation of Telangana state?
A. Telugus here can play only a limited role in Indian politics. But our people here tried their best. For example, when my father was fasting in India (fast unto death for separate statehood in 2009), they protested in all parts of the United States, including in front of the White House, as well as in 60 other countries. Their input was tremendous and they worked very hard. Whenever there was a step backwards towards our goal, these guys would step up.
Q. Where all have you traveled on this trip to the U.S. – and why/what did you do at these various venues?
A. Majorly the trip was to launch the North American chapter of Telangana Jagruthi, my nonprofit. Also, we initiated a chapter of Telangana Rashtra Samiti overseas. Currently it is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but there will be branches coming up in other states in the future. Also, there is Telangana University in my constituency and I am linking with Chicago State University so that every year 20 to 25 students from there can come here and study. I am also trying to link with other universities. I was also part of a six-member MP delegation to Princeton. This 20-day trip has been very busy.
Q. How are relations between the Union government in New Delhi and the K.C. Rao-led state government?
A. There are two things at play here: Before the elections the relations are very political between the BJP and TRS. But now, playing politics is over between the two governments. One good thing about the Modi government is it is propagating cooperative federalism, which is what we believe in — that when states progress, so will the country. In Parliament also, we play a very neutral role. If something is good for the people in the state or nation, we support them.
Q. Has the Union government been meeting its obligations to Telangana?
A. No, nothing as of now. During the state reorganization many promises were made, for example that a 4,000 megawatt power plant would be built immidiately. Nothing has come of that yet; there would be a steel plant – nothing. That there would be a separation of the High Court – again nothing. None of the promises have been fulfilled. We hope the Central government will step up to the plate.
Q. What kind of relationship is there between the BJP and Telugu Rashtra Samiti government? Will there be an alliance?
A. I wouldn’t want to comment on that as I have no clue what is going to happen in the future. There are no formal discussions on alliances. But the two seem to be working cordially. We are a new state. We don’t want a negative relationship with either the center or the states. For instance, we have a water sharing agreement with Andhra Pradesh.
Q. At the state level – what are the highlights of Telangana’s performance?
A. Some immediate changes have been seen by the people and the country. There is an improvement in social security services. Old-age pension has been increased from Rs. 200 to Rs. 1,000 per month. Assistance to the physically handicapped has been raised from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,500. We have put in place a new program called Shaadi Mubarak. There was a peculiar practice of sending minority girls to Dubai etc. So we are giving families Rs. 51,000 for the marriage of their girls, but only girls who are above 18 years of age in order to prevent child marriages. So, this will stop sex trafficking and we have seen examples of this helping. We have to tackle issues of abuse of the girl-child and its connection to poverty, education and other factors. So the state has conceived a new education program called – KG to PG — free education for the girl-child from kindergarten to post-graduate level. This kind of program is not found in any other state or anywhere in the developing world. Because now we feel we have the resources to control and we always said we would deal with the social security issues. Once these issues of welfare of people like clean drinking water, electricity, and general welfare of the people are tackled, investment will happen. Like in the U.S., the basic necessities of infrastructure are available. We are trying to work like a developed country. This is also accompanied with curbing corruption. We want a graft-free government. We sacked the deputy chief minister because of that. And my father has said he will not spare even his own son or daughter.
Q. In the new configuration, how are the relations between Telangana and Andhra? (In Andhra, the BJP has an alliance with Telugu Desam)
A. The BJP alliance with Telugu Desam doesn’t matter to us. What matters is the attitude of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. We were supposed to get 55 percent of the power in the sharing agreement. (When that did not come through) we had trouble in the first six months, trying to solve the problem. We had to buy expensive power from other states. Till date Andhra Pradesh has not given us our share. We don’t have issues with the people of Andhra Pradesh, but with the government. And we will face that for the next 9 years — till the 10-year agreement period is over.
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