Konda Surekha refuses to quit as MLA, accuses Telangana CM of caste bias
Konda Surekha, removed from Telangana cabinet, says she will remain MLA and has accused CM Revanth Reddy of caste and gender bias.
Days after being dropped from the Telangana cabinet, Endowments Minister Konda Surekha has ruled out joining any other party and said she will continue as an MLA. In a letter to the Congress high command, she alleged that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy targeted her due to caste and gender bias.
Surekha, who represents the East Warangal constituency, said her association with the Congress will continue as an MLA. "I will serve my constituency," she said, responding to speculation about her political future and rumours that the BJP was ready to admit her.
She blamed the Chief Minister's brothers — Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Rajya Sabha member Vem Narender Reddy — for her removal. She also claimed that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) was not inclined to act against her, but that Revanth Reddy had "blackmailed" the leadership into doing so.
In her letter addressed to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and KC Venugopal, Surekha cited several instances of being sidelined. She said she was kept out of the constitution of the Yadagirigutta Temple Trust Board despite being the Endowments Minister. Funds released by her department for the Sammakka-Saralamma temple makeover were handed to the Roads and Buildings Department without her knowledge, she alleged.
She also pointed to her photograph being omitted from government advertisements on Ram Navami, and the police action at her official residence to arrest her On Special Duty (OSD) officer Sumanth. Such incidents, she said, were deeply hurtful and showed that even minimal recognition and dignity were denied to her.
Surekha repeatedly mentioned that she and her husband, Konda Murali, belong to two different castes among the Backward Classes (BCs) with a considerable vote percentage. She claimed there was a coordinated effort to isolate her family from the East Warangal constituency.
She argued that she cannot be held responsible for remarks made by her daughter, Susmitha Patel, and appealed to Rahul Gandhi for an impartial and comprehensive inquiry into the issues she raised.