CM ‘blackmailed’ high command to remove me: Konda Surekha

Hyderabad: Konda Surekha, who was sacked from the Cabinet on Thursday, has since alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy used “blackmail politics” to pressure the Congress high command into removing her from the Telangana Cabinet.

Addressing a media conference at her residence on Thursday, Surekha claimed that the high command had no intention of dropping her from the Cabinet and alleged that Revanth Reddy threatened to resign if she was not removed.

Surekha alleged that a conspiracy involving Kondal Reddy, Tirupati Reddy, both Chief Minister’s brothers, Rajya Sabha MP Vem Narender Reddy, and Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy was behind her removal, with the Minister acting exactly as his relative and Khammam MP Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy had dictated.

Surekha alleged that a conspiracy involving Kondal Reddy, Tirupati Reddy, Vem Narender Reddy, and Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy was behind her removal, with the Minister acting exactly as his relative and MP, Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy, had dictated. -

She alleged that Basavaraju Saraiah, Errabelli Swarna and others in the faction opposing her in the district were protégés of Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy.

She said her dismissal was carried out without seeking an explanation or asking her to resign. “I was dismissed based on an unsigned blank sheet of paper. There are no corruption allegations against me. This is a grave insult to a BC woman,” she said.

Surekha alleged that her former OSD, Sumanth, was removed without her knowledge and claimed that pressure was being brought on the police and that his family was being harassed.

Referring to Revanth Reddy's political background, she made a sharp remark: “Those with TDP blood behave this way.” Surekha questioned the process followed by the Congress disciplinary committee and pointed out that Mallu Ravi, who chaired the committee that recommended action against her, had himself criticised the Congress party in the past.

She cited former Congress leaders such as K Rosaiah and S Jaipal Reddy, who, she said, had also criticised Indira Gandhi, arguing that differences of opinion should not automatically lead to political action.

“I am not upset about being removed from the ministerial post. I have committed no wrong, and I do not consider this dismissal an insult. We are leaders with public support; the people stand with us,” she said.

Surekha also objected to being held responsible for remarks made by her daughter, Sushmita. She argued that family members can have different political opinions and cited the example of former Congress leader D. Srinivas, whose son Arvind was associated with the BJP.

Surekha alleged that her daughter had been seeking a party ticket for nearly a decade, while Kadiyam Srihari's daughter was able to secure an MP seat. She claimed that her daughter's comments were being used as a pretext to target her politically.

Surekha alleged that Revanth Reddy had earlier promised to entrust district responsibilities to her husband, Konda Murali, during his visit to Warangal. She claimed that she reminded the Chief Minister of the promise and was told that MLAs were opposed to the proposal and that she should obtain their signatures. According to Surekha, despite this, positions were subsequently given to individuals preferred by the Chief Minister. She also claimed that she and her supporters had helped the party secure 11 seats in the region.

Surekha strongly denied allegations of corruption and said she had responded to the show-cause notices issued to her. She also questioned the manner in which the dismissal order was issued, pointing out that the letter announcing her removal did not carry a signature.

Surekha also criticised Revanth Reddy's administrative and political style, and contrasted it with that of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. She said YSR had maintained regular communication with party leaders and the public and gave importance to their concerns. In contrast, she alleged that Revanth Reddy had failed to maintain a similar level of communication with party leaders and public representatives.

She questioned Ministers and MLAs over whether they were satisfied with the prevailing situation and urged them to speak openly about their grievances.

“A situation has arisen where even the work of public representatives is not getting done,” she alleged.

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