Hyderabad:
Public attack on Chief Minister Revanth Reddy by the daughter of a senior minister in his Cabinet has brought the rebellion brewing in the Telangana Congress to the fore.
Konda Sushmita, who is the daughter of senior minister Konda Surekha and is aspiring for a Congress ticket from Parkal, has thrown an open challenge to the chief minister.
Speaking in Parkal on Wednesday, Sushmita not only challenged Revanth Reddy’s backing of sitting MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy but also questioned his authority and threw down an electoral gauntlet.
Sushmita’s remarks go well beyond a conventional ticket dispute. Reacting to the chief minister’s public backing of the sitting MLA, she asked: “Why wait two years? Ask him to resign right now! Tell him to resign and contest the elections.” She then went on to declare: “Whether you, your father, or your grandfather come, I will be the MLA of Parkal.”
She also made it clear that she was ready to contest as an independent if Congress denied her a ticket.
She doubled down on her attack on the chief minister asking: “Who is Revanth to decide my ticket?”
She accused the Revanth Reddy of “arrogance” and alleged that his leadership had turned the Congress into a “TD Congress”, claiming that original Congress leaders were unhappy with the direction of the party.
She also alleged a Rs 200-crore land deal involving the chief minister’s brother and warned that she could expose what she described as other alleged scams involving Revanth Reddy’s family.
Party went into damage control mode after the stunning and open attacks on the chief minister. The state Congress disciplinary committee has sought an explanation from minister Konda Surekha within three days over her daughter’s remarks against the chief minister.
In a separate action, senior leader Jakkidi Prabhakar Reddy was suspended, while former minister and Planning Board vice-chairman Chinna Reddy was also asked to explain his position.
The disciplinary moves came after the Congress high command had already stressed that indiscipline at the ministerial level would not be tolerated and that internal differences must be settled.
The developments have also brought the Komatireddy factor back into focus. Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy has publicly criticised the Revanth Reddy government, raising allegations of corruption and questioning the role of outsiders and sections of the administration.
At the heart of the confrontation is an old fault line: old congress vs new.
The old-guard includes senior leaders such as Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, D Sridhar Babu, Damodar Rajanarasimha, Konda Surekha and veteran leaders such as V Hanumantha Rao. Several of these leaders had earlier expressed reservations about Revanth Reddy’s rise and his elevation as TPCC chief.
The Revanth-era power structure, meanwhile, is centred on the Chief Minister and the organisational network built around his leadership, including TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, CWC special invitee Ch Vamshi Chand Reddy and leaders such as Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, Rajya Sabha MPs Anil Kumar Yadav and Vem Narender Reddy.
Ministers including Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and D Anasuya Seethakka have also been labeled as “Revanth loyalist”.
As Telangana Congress tussle has come out in open, the Congress high command now faces a delicate choice: crack down and risk alienating veterans with strong regional bases, or accommodate dissent and risk weakening the chief minister’s authority.
