Telangana Chief Minister Drops Endowments Minister Konda Surekha from Council of Ministers

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has decided to drop Endowments Minister Konda Surekha from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said. “A recommendation to this effect has been sent to the Hon’ble Governor already,” a release issued by the CMO said. For Surekha to be dropped from the Council of Ministers, Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has to give his assent. Soon after the CM’s office announced its decision, Konda Surekha released letters she had written to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal and the party’s Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, claiming that she was discriminated against on account of being a “BC (Backward Classes) woman leader”. The CM has also decided to rescind the appointment of G Chinna Reddy as vice-chairman of the Telangana Planning Board with immediate effect. “In place of G Chinna Reddy, Gadwal Vijayalakshmi has been appointed as Vice Chairman, Telangana Planning Board,” the release said. Vijayalakshmi had served as the Mayor of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. She was earlier with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) but joined the Congress in 2024. In her letter to Gandhi, written on August 23, Konda Surekha alleged that key decisions in the Endowments Department were being taken without consulting her — that she was kept out of the Yadadri Temple Trust Board process, that Sammakka-Saralamma temple funds were shifted to the Roads and Buildings Department, and that her photo was “omitted” from government advertisements. She also alleged that her Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Sumanth, was “removed and targeted” without her knowledge. She also alleged that her family was being politically isolated in Warangal and that a show-cause notice was issued to her over statements made by her adult daughter. The letter asks Gandhi to order an impartial and comprehensive inquiry into the circumstances that led to her isolation. In the release, the CMO said: “Chief Minister has also approved the appointment of Nerella Sharada as Chairperson, Telangana State Commission for Women, Hyderabad. CM has also approved the appointment of G Sudha Rani, Ex-MP (RS) as Chairperson, Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA). Government Orders to this effect were issued on Thursday.” Notably, the three women appointed to various posts by Reddy belong to Backward Classes, which is being viewed as a move to soften the blow to the community and organisations linked to it. Vijayalakshmi’s promotion is also being viewed as a move to shut down any reaction from the BRS. She is the daughter of K Keshav Rao, former right hand of BRS founder and former CM K Chandrashekar Rao, who later joined the Congress. The other two women who have been appointed are from Warangal district, which is considered a Konda family stronghold. Surekha’s removal from the Council of Ministers comes after the Congress disciplinary committee recommended it in August. The committee had also recommended removing G Chinna Reddy from his position as state Planning Board vice-chairman. A report to this effect was submitted to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president and party MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud. Speaking at a press conference in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Congress leader, MP and disciplinary committee chairman Mallu Ravi said the TPCC president would take up the matter with AICC Telangana in-charge Natarajan. She would then inform the party high command and act based on its recommendation, Ravi said. At the press conference, Mallu Ravi had said: “Discipline is paramount within the Congress party as the party’s prestige hinges on discipline of its rank and file. Disciplinary action must be taken so that the party comes to power again.” While action against Surekha was recommended based on adverse comments made by her daughter against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy , Chinna Reddy was accused of having spoken disparagingly about the party’s state leadership. While it was Konda Surekha’s daughter who first made the disparaging comments, the minister herself had warned the Revanth Reddy government of “Backward Classes ire” if she was removed from the Council of Ministers. Surekha had met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to present her case, she had said. She also said she was denied an audience by Venugopal. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Surekha said that she “has not decided on the future course of action”.