Revanth Reddy told Venugopal that the high command could no longer afford to take a lenient view of repeated instances of public indiscipline by senior leaders.

Hyderabad:Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has reportedly mounted pressure on the Congress high command to take action against minister Konda Surekha and Planning Board vice-chairman G. Chinna Reddy, seeking their removal for indulging in public indiscipline and making baseless and derogatory remarks against him, his family members and the Congress leadership.

Revanth Reddy, who reached Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, met AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal at his residence and is learnt to have made a strong case for implementing the recommendations of the state party disciplinary committee which had inquired into the controversy and recommended the removal of Surekha and Chinna Reddy.

Interestingly, Revanth Reddy drove to Venugopal’s residence without his usual convoy and security and was not accompanied any party leader. This was despite the presence in Delhi of ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Tummala Nageswara Rao and Danasari ‘Seethakka’ Anasuya and TPCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud.

According to party sources, Revanth Reddy told Venugopal that the high command could no longer afford to take a lenient view of repeated instances of public indiscipline by senior leaders. He reportedly recalled that the party had adopted a soft approach towards Surekha, her husband Konda Murali and their daughter Sushmita when they made derogatory remarks against him and the party in October last year.

The high command had then reportedly let off the Konda family with a warning after they assured the leadership that such incidents would not be repeated. Revanth Reddy is learnt to have pointed out that they had not kept up the assurances and that the Konda leaders had continued to embarrass the Congress government and the party by levelling wild allegations.

According to the Chief Minister’s assessment conveyed to Venugopal, such statements were providing political ammunition to the Opposition BRS and BJP to attack the Congress government and, more seriously, were causing greater damage to the Congress’s reputation in Telangana than the Opposition itself.

Revanth Reddy reportedly stressed that the timing was particularly critical as the Congress government would have to face the polls to the Hyderabad civic bodies, Legislative Council and the districts and mandals in the next six months. At such a juncture, he is learnt to have argued, adverse public comments against the Chief Minister and Congress leadership by senior leaders holding Cabinet rank would weaken the party’s electoral prospects and strengthen the Opposition narrative.

The Chief Minister reportedly made it clear that public display of indiscipline that damaged the Congress should not be tolerated, regardless of how senior or influential the leader concerned may be. He is learnt to have sought stern action against Surekha and Chinna Reddy in line with the Disciplinary Committee’s recommendations.

The high command has reportedly entrusted Venugopal with the task of gathering feedback from the Chief Minister and senior Telangana leaders before taking a final call. Venugopal has consequently begun one-on-one consultations with key leaders on the Disciplinary Committee report.

Surekha, who also reached Delhi on Tuesday, is likely to meet Venugopal and put forward her version of the developments. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will reach Delhi on Wednesday morning.

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