Revanth Reddy drops Konda Surekha from the Telangana cabinet after her daughter attacks him

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy dropped Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha from the cabinet on 3 September. The Governor, Shiv Pratap Shukla, issued the order after the chief minister called on him at Lok Bhavan. The Chief Minister Office had already sent the recommendation before Reddy landed back from Delhi.

The Congress high command cleared the move after a meeting between Reddy and AICC general secretary K. C. Venugopal on 2 September. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge had also heard the file, with deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud and AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan in the room. A TPCC disciplinary committee had recommended action after remarks by Surekha daughter, Konda Sushmitha (also spelled Susmita Patel in some reports), against the chief minister and other party leaders.

The Parkal ticket and the land claim

The immediate fight was the Congress ticket in Parkal. Sushmitha has been trying to build a political base there. She alleged that Reddy offered prime land to a shell company linked to his brother at a throwaway price. G. Chinna Reddy, then vice-chairman of the State Planning Board, separately alleged that Wanaparthy MLA T. Megha Reddy received a ticket after money changed hands. Chinna Reddy lost the Planning Board post the same day. Former Hyderabad mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi takes his chair, with cabinet rank. Nerella Sarada becomes chair of the Telangana Women Commission. Gundu Sudharani of Warangal, Surekha home turf, becomes chair of the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority.

Hours before the order, Surekha had said she would not quit and that if the party acted against her it should also act against the chief minister. After the order she said nobody had taken her version. She accused Reddy brothers, minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and others of a conspiracy and said she had been boxed out of work for months.

What the high command was signalling

Deccan Chronicle called the sackings a message on indiscipline. Telangana Today said the cut would deepen a split between leaders who have been in Congress for years and leaders who arrived from other parties. Surekha belongs to the first group. Reddy does not. Warangal appointments on the same afternoon look like an attempt to occupy the ground she and her husband Murali have held.

The legal fact is simple. A chief minister with the Governor signature can drop a minister in a day. The political fact is slower. Sushmitha allegations about land and tickets are now in the open. Reddy still has the high command. Surekha still has a Warangal network. Both will be counted at the next ticket meeting, which is where this fight started.