Konda Surekha, Chinna Reddy likely to face axe!

Telangana Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha and Planning Board Vice-Chairman G. Chinna Reddy are likely to face the axe as the Disciplinary Committee of the state Congress unit has recommended strict action against them for indiscipline.

The Disciplinary Committee, in its report submitted to the state unit, is understood to have recommended that the party drop Surekha from the Cabinet and also remove Chinna Reddy from his post.

The action was recommended against Surekha and Chinna Reddy for their remarks considered damaging to the party and its leadership.

Chinna Reddy, a senior leader, enjoys the Cabinet rank in his capacity as the Vice-Chairman of the Planning Board.

Disciplinary Committee Chairman Mallu Ravi and Vice-Chairman Shyam Mohan on Tuesday submitted the report to state party President Mahesh Kumar Goud, and he has forwarded the report to AICC in-charge for Telangana, Meenakshi Natrajan.

Party sources said the AICC leadership will take a final decision on the action to be taken against the two leaders.

The Disciplinary Panel reportedly observed that Surekha should have condemned the remarks made by her daughter Konda Sushmita against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. The report also mentioned that this was not the first time that she violated party discipline.

In her reply to the show-cause notice issued by the Disciplinary Committee, Surekha had distanced herself from the comments made by Sushmita at an event at Parkala in Warangal district.

The minister stated in her reply that she should not be held politically responsible for remarks made against the Chief Minister, and that those were personal views of her daughter.

She had urged the Disciplinary Committee to withdraw the notice issued to her.

Chinna Reddy had also urged the Disciplinary Committee to withdraw the notice issued to him. He said in his reply that the comments made by him recently were only an expression of the grievances of long-standing party leaders and workers.

The Planning Board Vice-Chairman had made the remarks against the party leadership and Wanaparthy MLA T Megha Reddy during the inauguration of the mandal Congress office at Gopalpet in Wanaparthy district on August 16.

At a press conference on Monday, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had declined to comment on the controversy involving Surekha and her daughter.

He said he would not like to speak on the party’s internal matters before the media as the issue was already being handled by the Disciplinary Committee.

The Chief Minister, while underlining the importance of discipline in the party, said that the party high command’s decision would be final and all leaders have to abide by it.