Telangana Congress rift deepens as party takes action against leaders over ‘Anti-Party’ remarks
The divisions within the Telangana Congress, which have been growing within the party, deepened on Thursday following a disciplinary afterthought by the party board against some of its leaders for allegedly saying anti-party and anti-chief comments.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud said that a show cause notice had been sent to Konda Surekha, the state Endowments Minister. She has been bench-marked for alleged malicious statements related to the party and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy made by her daughter, Konda Sushmita.
Sushmita is said to have made these statements while celebrating her mother’s birthday in Parkala, Warangal district, on Wednesday, which led to a controversy within the Congress at the party’s state level office. She claimed she played a pivotal role in pushing Revanth Reddy as the competitors whom the Konda family could vouch for in the TPCC president’s race, as well as introducing him to the Congress high command.
Sushmita also claimed that after becoming chief minister Vice President Revanth Reddy had turned “power-hungry” and forgotten those ‘who helped him in his political journey’.
The PCC disciplinary committee headed by Nagarkurnool Member of Parliament (MP) Mallu Ravi condemned the remarks and also issued a show-cause notice to Mallu Ravi’s former minister and former Vice-Chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board (TSPB), G Chinna Reddy. He has allegedly blamed the Congress leaders of the State Government for fixing tickets in the previous Assembly elections.
It also asked to ban party leader senior Congress leader Jakkidi Prabhakar Reddy who is father of Telangana Youth Congress president Jakkidi Shivacharan Reddy for allegedly issuing “personal and caste criticisms” against several party leaders.
Besides this, Kandi Srinivas Reddy, in-charge of Adilabad Assembly constituency, and party leader Sanjay of the same constituency were slapped with ‘show cause’ notices. The action is in connection with “offensive remarks” allegedly made against party leaders at an Utnoor DCC Political Affairs Committee meeting.
The sanctions reflect rising conflicts in the Telangana Congress, which is actively trying to suppress factional differences and alleged attacks on party’s high ranking leaders who are seen as a problem.