Over 20 Legislators Demand Konda Surekha’s Dismissal from Cabinet
Nakrekal MLA Vemula Veeresham noted that criticising the Chief Minister while remaining in the party was like cutting off the branch that one was sitting on.
Hyderabad:Over 20 Congress legislators on Friday demanded the dismissal of endowments minister Konda Surekha from the Cabinet and her suspension from the party for not condemning her daughter Konda Sushmita’s outburst against Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and distancing herself from the remarks.
Addressing a press conference at the CLP office on Friday, government Whip Beerla Ilaiah expressed strong disapproval at Surekha’s stand and stated that it was unacceptable for someone in a responsible position to claim she had no connection to her daughter's statements. Ilaiah said that internal differences should be discussed within the CLP or the PCC, rather than levelling allegations in public against the Chief Minister and the party.
Alleging that Surekha lacked good relations with any of the Congress MLAs in the district, Warangal West legislator Naini Rajender Reddy demanded strict action against anyone who violated party discipline. He questioned Surekha’s attitude and lack of remorse and said it indicated the possibility of backing from the Opposition parties like the BRS and the BJP. He also challenged Surekha to come up with evidence to support her claims of a multi-crore scam against Congress leaders.
Nakrekal MLA Vemula Veeresham noted that criticising the Chief Minister while remaining in the party was like cutting off the branch that one was sitting on. He added that the Konda family must apologise to the Chief Minister and demanded Surekha's dismissal from both the Cabinet and the party.
Devarakonda MLA Balu Naik condemned the allegations made by Sushmita and alleged that the Konda family had become an accomplice in the Opposition’s conspiracies. He stated that anyone opposing the Chief Minister had no right to continue in the Congress and called for immediate disciplinary action against Surekha by the high command.
On August 20, in her reply to a notice issued by PCC’s disciplinary action committee (DAC). Surekha distanced herself from the controversial statements made by her daughter Sushmita against the Congress and the Chief Minister and urged the party to withdraw the notice.
