For some leaders, it is so near yet so far. Kavitha Kalwakuntla is one such leader. She has everything going for her. Her father is the chief minister of the state. Her brother is the working president of the ruling party. She was made an MLC from the safest possible constituency. Yet, a ministry continues to elude her. Nothing practically seems to be going in her favour.
Kavitha desperately tried to become a central minister in Modi 1.0, but that did not happen. Then came the stunning loss in 2019 Lok Sabha election. This pushed her into a stunned isolation. Later, KCR made her an MLC from the local body constituency in Nizamabad. But, even this victory and the comeback could not bring her out from the margins.
She was then made the in-charge of the prestigious coal-belt trade unions and was tasked with winning the union elections. Even as she got into her act, Covid came like a bolt from the blue. All movements were curtailed and the lockdown 1.0 has drawn curtains on union activities. The Batukamma Festival, which became her flagship activity, too could not be held.
Then she began another attempt to garner some publicity by announcing that she would conduct Hanuman Chalisa recitals across the state. The plan was to make famed Hanuman temple at Kondagattu the centre of this activity. She planned to use TRS cadres to organized massive Hanuman chalisa recitals everywhere. This was an attempt to promote soft Hindutva against a resurgent BJP. By 2024, she wanted to do an Arvind Kejriwal and defeat the BJP. Arvind Kejriwal had successfully countered the BJP’s surge with Hanuman Chalisa in Delhi.
Again Corona hit her from nowhere. She tested Corona positive and her whole family went into isolation. Then the massive and unpredictable second wave happened again. The Hanuman Chalisa recital had to be abandoned altogether. She did organize a low key recital the other day. But, the impact wasn’t there.
Even the much-awaited cabinet expansion too is not happening. Now with the Etela episode, KCR may postpone making her the minister, say reliable sources. The wait continues for Kavitha.
