Konda Surekha Removed from Telangana Cabinet After Row Over Parkal Ticket
HYDERABAD — A brewing political conflict over the Parkal assembly constituency ticket has led to the removal of minister Konda Surekha from Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s Cabinet in Telangana, following public criticism from her daughter against the party leadership.
The controversy escalated after Surekha's daughter, Konda Sushmitha, publicly challenged the Chief Minister's decision to support sitting Parkal MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy for the upcoming assembly election. During a recent public event in Parkal, Revanth Reddy had endorsed Prakash Reddy and urged voters to back him once again. Sushmitha, who had been put forward by the Konda family as a prospective Congress candidate for the seat, strongly opposed the announcement.
Following the Chief Minister's remarks, Sushmitha questioned the rationale behind announcing a candidate well in advance and announced she was prepared to contest Parkal as an independent if denied the Congress ticket. She also claimed that Backward Classes leaders were being sidelined within the party organisation.
The public confrontation prompted objections from senior Congress leaders over party discipline. Congress Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan subsequently sought a formal report on the sequence of events. Surekha defended herself during the disciplinary proceedings, arguing that Sushmitha was an adult whose political opinions were strictly personal.
The latest friction comes after earlier tensions between the Konda family and party leadership. In October, Sushmitha had accused Revanth Reddy and other leaders of targeting her family when police visited Surekha’s Jubilee Hills residence in connection with her former Officer on Special Duty, N Sumanth, who was removed amid allegations of corruption and extortion. Sumanth and his associates also faced a case transferred to Jubilee Hills police station for allegedly assaulting a real estate businessman with iron rods and sticks near the Jubilee Hills checkpost on July 30.
Following her removal from the cabinet, Surekha questioned why she was being held accountable for her daughter’s statements and expressed disappointment that she had not been consulted prior to the decision. She also described her dismissal as an unfair act of vendetta, asking why similar disciplinary actions had not been taken against other leaders who had aired controversial remarks.
