Hyderabad: Amid the controversy triggered by remarks made by Konda Surekha’s daughter, Sushmitha, a few days ago, the BC leader had visited the residence of chief minister A Revanth Reddy along with fellow woman minister…

Hyderabad: Amid the controversy triggered by remarks made by Konda Surekha’s daughter, Sushmitha, a few days ago, the BC leader had visited the residence of chief minister A Revanth Reddy along with fellow woman minister D Seethakka and tied him a rakhi. With both sides all smiles, at least for the optics, it appeared the feud between Surekha and Revanth Reddy had ended happily. But on Thursday, with the AICC leadership’s backing, Revanth Reddy recommended to the governor that Surekha be removed from his Cabinet exposing the underlying tension between the two that had never really been resolved.Telangana CM Revanth Reddy drops Konda Surekha from Cabinet, sends recommendation to GovernorWith the sacking of Konda Surekha from the ministry, along with the removal of Congress veteran China Reddy from his Cabinet-rank post, the AICC leadership appears to have taken a calculated stand against indiscipline within a party otherwise known for its freewheeling internal democracy. The AICC leadership now feels it will not spare anyone who speaks openly against Revanth Reddy and his government.The Surekha episode also underscored the chief minister’s growing influence over the AICC leadership. Even as a section of state Congress leaders had urged caution given that sacking a woman leader, and a BC woman at that, carried risks in north Telangana, a region with a significant vote bank where the BJP has been trying to make inroads, the AICC ultimately went with Revanth Reddy’s assessment.’CM Revanth Reddy indulged in blackmail politics’: Konda Surekha over removal from CabinetApparently seeking to offset any political fallout from the caste angle, Revanth Reddy moved quickly to appoint three BC women to key positions. Alongside the recommendation sent to Lok Bhavan, GOs were issued simultaneously appointing Gadwal Vijayalakshmi as State Planning Board chairperson, Nerella Sarada as chairperson of the State Women’s Commission, and former Rajya Sabha member Gundu Sudharani as chairperson of the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA).Vijayalakshmi, daughter of former Rajya Sabha member and party veteran K Keshava Rao, belongs to the Munnuru Kapu community, the same community as Surekha’s husband, Konda Murali while Sudharani belongs to Surekha’s own weaver community.BJP leaders chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, but no funds from Centre to Telangana: Minister Konda SurekhaCongress sources said Revanth Reddy, who had been in Delhi over the past few days, wanted action taken on Surekha before he returned to Hyderabad on Thursday evening. Since Surekha did not tender her resignation despite being asked to, and with strong backing from the AICC leadership, Revanth Reddy’s office sent the recommendation for her removal to Lok Bhavan.As part of a broader effort to defuse any backlash from the caste angle given that Surekha has repeatedly invoked the BC card Revanth Reddy also decided to sack China Reddy, a leader from his own community, from his cabinet-rank post.Interestingly, Surekha was once a strong supporter of Revanth Reddy and was among the first within the party to vocally back him after he joined from the TDP to become PCC chief.The Konda family has remained one of the most influential political families in Warangal district. Konda Surekha has been elected MLA five times, twice from the erstwhile Shyamapet constituency, once from Parkal, and twice from Warangal East.Her husband, Konda Murali, has served two terms as an MLC and continues to wield considerable political influence in the region. Over the years, the family has sought to strengthen its independent political base in Warangal regardless of which party it worked with.The family began its political journey with the Congress, and Surekha served as a minister in the Congress government under Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. She later moved to the YSRCP for a period, then briefly joined the BRS, before returning to the Congress to become a minister in Telangana’s first Congress government under chief minister A Revanth Reddy, a tenure that has now ended in an unceremonious exit. Surekha’s insistence that she will continue in the Congress suggests the AICC has left her with no other option.

Source: Deccan Herald