The Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday dropped Konda Surekha, the Minister for Forest, Environment and Endowment, from his Cabinet in the Congress' latest move over remarks made against him and others by her daughter.
A recommendation to sack Surekha has also been made to Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, as per a CMO statement.
Notably, the Telangana Congress had even made plans to sack her if she refused to tender her resignation, as per local media reports, as Surekha has reiterated multiple times that she was not at fault, and has also refused to resign over her daughter Susmita's comments.
Susmita, who was reportedly keen on contesting the next Assembly election from the Parkal constituency in her family’s stronghold of Warangal, was upset over the CM’s announcement that the incumbent MLA, Revuri Prakash Reddy would seek re-election from the seat.
On August 19, she questioned Revanth's authority to decide who would receive a Congress ticket, and also brought up recent allegations of corruption against him over subsidised land allotted to a company run by his brother, Kondal Reddy.
This sparked sharp reactions from various leaders, adding to the rift within the Telangana Congress as she was issued a show-cause notice asking her to explain why action should not be taken against her over her daughter’s comments. Surekha has since submitted her explanation.
Notably, the problem persisted even after the CM discussed Surekha's exit with members of the AICC top brass, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and K.C. Venugopal, in Delhi over the past few days.
Surekha, who later met with Kharge on Wednesday, has also alleged that she was not able to meet Venogopal after she was asked by the party to resign.
She told reporters that she had urged the party leadership to let her continue in the cabinet, asserting that she has been performing well as a minister, and faced no allegations of corruption. She then doubled down on the ministers insisting on disciplinary action against her, saying that "somebody" was behind them, but refused to reveal names.
Though she has refused to condemn or support her daughter's comments on the CM, she has nevertheless distanced herself from them, saying that she should not be blamed for the actions of her daughter.
“I said in my reply that she is a married and independent woman, and has the freedom to speak whatever she feels. I can’t be held responsible for what she speaks,” she had said earlier.
Alleging that she had been made a scapegoat, she also reminded the party of the caste angle in the issue, noting that there could be significant consequences for the state Congress if they perceived her ouster as an attempt to target a leader from the Padmashali community, one of Telangana's Backward Classes (BCs), which have a significant vote share in the state.
