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Congress MLA Naini Rajender Reddy has defended the decision to drop Konda Surekha from the Telangana cabinet, saying disciplinary action should be taken against those who repeatedly speak against the party.
Speaking to ANI, while reacting to Surekha's removal from the state cabinet, Reddy questioned whether it was acceptable for a party leader to repeatedly criticise the Congress. He also hit out at complaints that government schemes were not being delivered, questioning why the issue was being raised only now. "Is it acceptable to repeatedly hurl abuses at the party?... Now, she complains that schemes aren't being delivered. Did she only remember this today? After three years?... If anyone speaks against the party, disciplinary action must follow," he said. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy initiated a major administrative and political reshuffle, dropping Minister Konda Surekha from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect. An official recommendation regarding the cabinet exclusion has already been forwarded to the Governor for formal approval. The dispute centres on the Parkal Assembly constituency. During a recent programme in the constituency, Revanth Reddy publicly backed sitting MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy and appealed to voters to support him again in the next election. Sushmitha, daughter of Telangana Minister Konda Surekha, publicly questioned the Chief Minister's role in deciding the Congress candidate for Parkal and challenged the reported backing of sitting MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy. She also indicated that she was prepared to contest from the constituency even if she did not receive the Congress ticket. After being dropped from the Telangana cabinet, Konda Surekha asserted that losing her ministerial position causes her no personal loss, remarking that a ministerial post is "only an ornament" and that her true strength lies in the support of the people. "I have no sorrow over losing my ministerial post. We have the support of the people. Nobody can do anything to us. A ministerial post is only an ornament for us. Losing it does not cause us any loss. Ministers and MLAs are not happy. What happened to me today will happen to you tomorrow. Nothing is getting done in this government," she said. Claiming that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) central leadership did not want her removed, she stated that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy personally insisted on dropping her from the cabinet. "At least they should have asked me before removing me. If they had asked me, I would have had the opportunity to ask why. I was removed without even taking my opinion. The AICC did not want me to be removed; the Chief Minister insisted on removing me," she said. "Removing a woman minister is damaging to the Congress at the national level. I will not ask them to reconsider the decision to remove me," she added.
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