Surekha walks a tightrope

A rift between Minister Konda Surekha and six Congress MLAs from the erstwhile Warangal district has escalated, with the MLAs accusing Surekha of highhandedness in their constituencies. They allege that Surekha and her husband are interfering in local affairs, creating divisions within the party. The MLAs have sought intervention from the State Congress leadership and plan to approach the party High Command in Delhi. Surekha, already facing defamation charges, is under further scrutiny for protecting her followers in a clash during Dasara celebrations, putting her political position at risk ahead of local elections

Warangal: Finally, the simmeringbrawl between the Minister for Environment, Forests and Endowments Konda Surekha and the MLAs belonging to the erstwhile Warangal district is out, putting the former in a spot. It’s learnt that six MLAs Revuri Prakash Reddy (Parkal), Gandra Satyanarayana Rao (Bhupalpally), Naini Rajender Reddy (Warangal West) Yashaswini Reddy (Palakurthi), Donthi Madhava Reddy (Narsampet), and Kadiyam Srihari, who joined Congress after winning Station Ghanpur seat on BRS ticket are up against Surekha, accusing her of showing highhandedness in their constituencies.

The MLAs who reportedly met the Telangana Congress party in-charge Deepa Das Munshi and TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud on Tuesday have decided to knock on the door of the high command in Delhi on Thursday. The MLAs say that Surekha and her husband and former MLC Konda Muralidhar Rao are intruding into the affairs of their constituencies; thereby creating a rift among the cadres. It may be noted here that the Konda couple has considerable sway over the Congress cadre in the Parkal, Bhupalpally, and Wardhannapet constituencies.

Surekha who is already in a hole facing defamation charges by actor Akkineni Nagarjuna and BRS working president K T Rama Rao dug herself deep into another controversy when she tried to protect her followers who clashed with the supporters of Revuri Prakash Reddy during Dasara celebrations at Dharmaram village under Geesugonda mandal. A video clip that showed Surekha sitting in the chair of Geesugonda inspector also raised a few eyebrows.

Meanwhile, sources say that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy entrusted the responsibility of resolving the spat between Surekha and MLAs with Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. “A conspiracy, sponsored by some upper caste leaders, is brewing to oust Surekha from the Cabinet. The Congress high command is also in a tight spot to take any action against Surekha with local body elections not far away,” a senior Congress leader told The Hans India.