TPCC suspends Mallanna for anti-party activities
The Congress on Saturday suspended its graduate constituency MLC Chintapandu Naveen Kumar, popularly known as Teenmaar Mallanna, for indulging in anti-party activities.
Hyderabad: The Congress on Saturday suspended its graduate constituency MLC Chintapandu Naveen Kumar, popularly known as Teenmaar Mallanna, for indulging in anti-party activities. TPCC's disciplinary action committee (DAC), led by G. Chinna Reddy, issued the suspension orders.
Mallanna, backed by the Congress, had secured a decisive victory in the graduate elections in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduates Legislative Council constituency in June 2024. However, his recent remarks on the caste census undertaken by the Congress government and his controversial statements against the Reddy community led to the disciplinary action against him.
Notably, it came a day after Meenakshi Natarajan assumed charge as AICC in-charge for Telangana, signalling the party’s strict stance on internal discipline. Party circles say that this move served as a stern warning that any deviation from the party’s interests would lead to severe consequences.
The DAC had issued a show cause notice to Mallanna on February 12 after his adverse comments against the caste census. He had called upon BC members to burn copies of the caste census reports, alleging that they were flawed. He also made derogatory remarks about the Reddy community and its leaders within the Congress. However, Mallanna ignored the notice and continued his tirades against the caste census and the Reddy community.
The suspension reads, "You are continuing your tirade against the Congress party repeatedly. Everyone in the state has appreciated the Congress government’s efforts in conducting the caste census and implementing sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes. However, you are pursuing your own agenda, disregarding the party’s interests. The Congress party belongs to every individual, irrespective of caste, region, or religion."
The caste census was a key initiative undertaken by the Congress government in Telangana. Mallanna’s statements challenging the census and his attacks on the Reddy community were seen as a direct challenge to the party leadership.
Responding to Mallanna's suspension, TPCC chief B. Mahesh Kumar Goud said, "No one will be spared if they cross the party line. The Congress party had extended support to Mallanna in various ways, but he chose to go against the party’s line."
