Revanth Reddy moved to drop Konda Surekha following an internal disciplinary row.
The controversy followed Surekha’s daughter’s remarks against Reddy and Congress leaders.
Surekha denied wrongdoing and claimed the chief minister insisted on removing her.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday sacked state minister Konda Surekha,bringing a weeks-long disciplinary dispute within the ruling party to an end.
The Chief Minister’s Office said a recommendation seeking Surekha’s removal had been forwarded to Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla for approval.
Surekha held the environment and forests and endowments portfolios in the state government.
In a parallel decision, the government rescinded senior Congress leader G Chinna Reddy’s appointment as vice-chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board with immediate effect. Telangana State Women’s Commission Chairperson Gadwal Vijayalakshmi was named as his replacement.
What Triggered Action Against Surekha?
The immediate provocation was a series of remarks made by Surekha’s daughter, Konda Sushmitha Patel, against Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders at a public event in August.
Sushmitha reportedly accused the Chief Minister of favouring his family in business matters. She also announced her intention to contest the Parkal Assembly constituency, which is currently represented by Congress MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy.
Her statements prompted a backlash from several Congress legislators and functionaries. More than 20 party MLAs and MLCs, along with some ministers, reportedly demanded disciplinary action against Surekha and her daughter.
Although Surekha did not make the contentious remarks herself, party leaders were reportedly unhappy that she had not publicly condemned or distanced herself from her daughter’s statements. The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee’s disciplinary panel subsequently recommended action against the minister.
Surekha maintained that her adult daughter’s views were personal and that she could not be made politically responsible for them.
Congress High Command Steps In
The controversy reached the Congress central leadership after senior Telangana leaders travelled to New Delhi for consultations.
Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud held discussions with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary KC Venugopal. The disciplinary complaints against Surekha and Chinna Reddy were among the issues considered.
Surekha also met Kharge and Congress’ Telangana affairs in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan to present her position. She reportedly argued that she had not criticised either Revanth Reddy or the party and was being unfairly targeted for her daughter’s conduct.
The minister had earlier urged the leadership not to remove her, citing her performance in government. She also claimed that the demand for action had not arisen spontaneously among Congress legislators and that “someone” was mobilising them against her. She, however, declined to identify the person allegedly responsible.
The disciplinary dispute escalated further when Surekha refused to resign voluntarily and challenged the party to act against her. The TPCC committee eventually recommended her removal, following which Revanth Reddy sent his recommendation to the Governor.
‘I Am Not At All At Fault’
Responding to the decision, Surekha said she had neither attacked Revanth Reddy nor acted against the Congress.
“They issued me a show-cause, but I had not levelled any allegations against Revanth Reddy or the party. In a meeting, my daughter expressed her frustration. She did that over an MLA candidate and levelled allegations. She spoke about something there on the CM. I am not at all responsible for it. I don’t know what she wanted to say,” she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Surekha also questioned why the party had removed her without first seeking her version directly.
“At least they should have asked me before removing me. If they had asked me, I would have had the opportunity to ask why. I was removed without even taking my opinion. The AICC did not want me to be removed; the Chief Minister insisted on removing me,” she said.
Claiming that she had remained silent out of respect for her daughter’s independence, Surekha added: “I did not respond to my daughter’s statements only out of respect for her. I have done nothing wrong. Why should I be humiliated?”
She further said she was not distressed about losing the ministerial position, describing the post as merely “ornamental” for her. Surekha also warned that removing a woman minister in this manner could politically damage the Congress at the national level.
The government’s action was not limited to Surekha. The Congress disciplinary panel had also recommended proceedings against G Chinna Reddy after he publicly criticised Wanaparthy MLA Tudi Megha Reddy.
Along with appointing Gadwal Vijayalakshmi to the Planning Board, the government named Nerella Sharada as chairperson of the Telangana State Commission for Women and former Rajya Sabha MP G Sudha Rani as chairperson of the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority.
