Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy dropped Forest Minister Konda Surekha from the Telangana Cabinet with immediate effect on Thursday. At the same time, the government cancelled G. Chinna Reddy’s appointment as vice-chairman of the State Planning Board.
The political action followed controversies involving statements attributed to the two leaders and their associates. Surekha’s daughter, Konda Sushmitha, had alleged that the Chief Minister offered prime land at a low price to a shell company linked to his brother.
Meanwhile, Chinna Reddy had alleged that Wanaparthy MLA T. Megha Reddy secured his Assembly election ticket through monetary inducements. Consequently, the allegations triggered criticism within the Congress, and several party MLAs reportedly demanded action.
Konda Surekha Cabinet removal follows disciplinary process
Surekha maintained that she could not take responsibility for statements made by her daughter. However, the controversy soon reached the party’s disciplinary committee.
On August 20, the TPCC Disciplinary Committee submitted its report to Telangana Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud. According to the information provided, the committee recommended strict disciplinary action against Surekha and Chinna Reddy.
Subsequently, the Congress high command cleared the action against the two leaders. Revanth Reddy then implemented the decision concerning Surekha. Following this, the government sent a formal communication on the Cabinet change to Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla’s office.
Chinna Reddy loses Planning Board post
Along with the Cabinet action, the government cancelled Chinna Reddy’s appointment as vice-chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board. Thus, the decisions brought significant changes involving two senior Congress leaders in the State.
Meanwhile, the government announced new appointments to key posts. It named Nerella Sharada as the new chairperson of the Telangana State Women’s Commission. Additionally, the government appointed former MP G. Sudha Rani as chairperson of the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA).