Telangana minister may face action over daughter’s remark on CM Revanth Reddy

Revanth Reddy, however, refused to make any comments on the comments made by Sushmita and the letters written by Surekha.

The Congress high command would take a call on taking disciplinary action against Telangana forests and endowments minister Konda Surekha, whose daughter Konda Sushmita Patel allegedly made derogatory and defamatory comments against chief minister A Revanth Reddy and the party, Pradesh Congress Committee B Mahesh Kumar Goud said on Monday.

Sushmita accused the chief minister of looting the state through his brother (File Photo)

“The disciplinary committee of the PCC, which examined the letters written by Konda Surekha in reply to the show-cause notice issued to her with regard to the comments made by her daughter last week, submitted its report to the party on Sunday and it was forwarded to the All-India Congress Committee for an appropriate action,” Goud told reporters.

Revanth Reddy, however, refused to make any comments on the comments made by Sushmita and the letters written by Surekha. “The issue concerning Surekha will be examined by the disciplinary committee and that everyone will have to abide by the decision taken by the party high command,” the chief minister said, while speaking to reporters on his return from the UK trip.

The chief minister said he would not comment on internal party matters and made it clear that speculation and hypothetical reports would not warrant a response from him. “The disciplinary committee will examine the issue. Whatever decision is taken will have to be accepted by everyone,” he said.

A senior Congress functionary said the PCC, in its report submitted to the high command, alleged that Surekha’s conduct was contrary to the interests of the party and that her statements and actions were aggravating the controversy.

On August 19, Sushmita, during her mother’s birthday celebrations at Parkala in Warangal district, claimed that the Konda family had played a key role in projecting the chief minister for the TPCC president’s post and bringing him to the attention of the Congress high command. “After becoming the chief minister, power has gone to his head and he has forgotten those who had supported him during his political rise,” she alleged.

Sushmita alleged that genuine Congress leaders had no place in the Reddy government and those who had defected from the Telugu Desam Party along with him were given prominence, referring to leaders like Rajya Sabha member Vem Narender Reddy and Parkal MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy.

She also accused the chief minister of looting the state through his brother, who had floated shell companies and got the land worth ₹200 crore allotted.

The PCC disciplinary committee headed by Nagarkurnool MP Dr Mallu Ravi issued a show-cause notice to Surekha, seeking her explanation for her daughter’s comments.

In her reply, the minister said she cannot be faulted for her daughter’s comments and hit back at the party for issuing show-cause notice to her. She demanded that the notice be withdrawn.

A group of MLAs took exception to her stand, arguing that Surekha should have first condemned remarks that were seen as damaging the image of the government and the Congress leadership.

In a second letter on Saturday, Surekha alleged that a conspiracy was being orchestrated against an OBC leader like her. She said some MLAs, with the backing of some powers-that-be, sought to make wild allegations against her, in a bid to suppress her politically.

According to the party functionary quoted above, the PCC complained to the high command that Surekha’s continued allegations of a conspiracy against her were inappropriate. “The AICC leaders enquired with the chief minister, the PCC chief minister and other senior leaders to seek their versions,” he said.

Meanwhile, the PCC received the information that Surekha had gone to Bengaluru on Sunday and met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. “She had a 15-minute talk with Kharge, seeking to present her version on the latest developments,” the party leader said.

Surekha reportedly told the Congress president that neither she nor her family had criticised the Congress party or the Gandhi family and alleged that certain leaders were deliberately targeting them.

“Kharge also sought details about Sushmita’s remarks and conveyed that making statements against the party and the chief minister was not appropriate. He advised her to tender an unconditional apology to the party and the chief minister,” the party leader said.