Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Sacks Endowments Minister Konda Surekha from Cabinet

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has dismissed Endowments Minister Konda Surekha from his cabinet following a formal recommendation from the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee disciplinary committee. The action came after controversial public remarks made by Surekha's daughter, Konda Sushmita Patel, against the chief minister and his family members during an event in August.

The party disciplinary committee proposed Surekha's removal alongside the removal of Chinna Reddy from the Telangana Planning Board, citing violations of party discipline. Revanth Reddy subsequently traveled to Delhi to deliberate on the matter with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal, pushing for stringent measures against internal dissent.

Surekha maintained that her daughter's public statements were personal and should not be attributed to her as a cabinet minister. However, this explanation failed to appease legislators allied with the chief minister, who demanded strict punitive action. Despite facing intense pressure to step down voluntarily, Surekha refused to submit her resignation and challenged party leaders to take direct action.

Following her dismissal, Surekha wrote letters to the national party leadership protesting the move and raised concerns over treatment between Backward Classes and non-Backward Classes leaders. "I was dismissed without any prior notice. The letter was issued without my signature. I have not made any decisions yet. What do what my family members said have to do with me? I have been trying for ten years to secure a party ticket for my daughter. I have not committed any corruption. At the very least, they should have spoken to me before making such a decision," Surekha stated.

To counter potential political fallout across the former Warangal region, the state government announced three appointments of Other Backward Classes women from Warangal district to key state bodies. Gadwal Vijayalakshmi was named vice-chairperson of the Telangana Planning Board, Nerella Sharada was appointed chairperson of the Telangana State Women's Commission, and former Rajya Sabha MP G. Sudha Rani was named chairperson of the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority.