Congress Lawmakers Seek Action on Konda Surekha Over Daughter's Remarks

Several Congress MLAs, MLCs, and Government Whips addressed a press conference in Hyderabad on Friday, mounting a sharp attack on Minister Konda Surekha and demanding disciplinary action from party leadership following remarks made by her daughter, Konda Sushmitha, against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.

The friction arose after Ms. Sushmitha made critical comments regarding the Chief Minister in relation to the allocation of MLA tickets for upcoming elections.

Speaking at the press conference, Government Whip Beerla Ilaiah stated that ruling party members should not publicly criticise the Chief Minister. He urged Ms. Surekha to address and condemn her daughter's statements, maintaining that internal party matters must be raised within the Congress Legislature Party or other official forums. Mr. Ilaiah noted that the remarks had caused distress among grassroots workers and called for unity as the government works to address the debt and issues left by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi administration.

Warangal West MLA Naini Rajender Reddy called for strict disciplinary action regardless of an individual's rank or background. He questioned Ms. Surekha's continued silence on the issue, stating that public attacks on the Chief Minister for personal or political motives harmed party discipline. He further alleged that certain internal elements were working against the party's interests.

Khanapur MLA Vedma Bojju termed the remarks unacceptable and noted that Ms. Surekha was avoiding a direct response. When questioned, legislators indicated they were seeking accountability for other leaders as well, including Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy and G. Chinna Reddy, warning that public discord among senior figures creates negative consequences for younger party cadres.

Shadnagar MLA Veerlapalli Shankar said that family members of ministers should exercise restraint in public statements and that ministers bear responsibility when remarks cause embarrassment to the administration. He warned against attempts to undermine Mr. Revanth Reddy's standing.

Government Whip and MLC Balmuri Venkat stated that while personal differences can be escalated to the high command, no individual is larger than the party. He remarked that those unwilling to maintain discipline were free to leave.

The briefing was attended by a broad group of legislators, including MLC Basvaraju Saraiah and MLAs Vemula Veeresham, Revoor Prakash Reddy, Nagaraju, Gandra Satyanarayana Rao, Balu Naik, Mandula Samuel, Vamsikrishna, Rajesh Reddy, Madhusudhan Reddy, Kumbam Anil Kumar Reddy, Bathula Laxma Reddy, Kunduru Jayaveer Reddy, and Manohar Reddy.