Hyderabad The Congress high command would take a call on taking disciplinary action against Telangana forests and endowments minister Konda Surekha, whose daughter Konda Sushmita Patel allegedly made derogatory and defamatory comments against chief minister A Revanth Reddy and the party, Pradesh Congress Committee B Mahesh Kumar Goud said on Monday.
Revanth Reddy, however, refused to make any comments on the comments made by Sushmita and the letters written by Surekha. “The disciplinary committee will examine the issue. She demanded that the notice be withdrawn.
On August 19, Sushmita, during her mother’s birthday celebrations at Parkala in Warangal district, claimed that the Konda family had played a key role in projecting the chief minister for the TPCC president’s post and bringing him to the attention of the Congress high command.
“The issue concerning Surekha will be examined by the disciplinary committee and that everyone will have to abide by the decision taken by the party high command,” the chief minister said, while speaking to reporters on his return from the UK trip. The chief minister said he would not comment on internal party matters and made it clear that speculation and hypothetical reports would not warrant a response from him. Whatever decision is taken will have to be accepted by everyone,” he said. A senior Congress functionary said the PCC, in its report submitted to the high command, alleged that Surekha’s conduct was contrary to the interests of the party and that her statements and actions were aggravating the controversy. “After becoming the chief minister, power has gone to his head and he has forgotten those who had supported him during his political rise,” she alleged. In her reply, the minister said she cannot be faulted for her daughter’s comments and hit back at the party for issuing show-cause notice to her. The PCC complained to the high command that Surekha’s continued allegations of a conspiracy against her were inappropriate, according to the party functionary quoted above. “The AICC leaders enquired with the chief minister, the PCC chief minister and other senior leaders to seek their versions,” he said. “She had a 15-minute talk with Kharge, seeking to present her version on the latest developments,” the party leader said.
Meanwhile, the PCC received the information that Surekha had gone to Bengaluru on Sunday and met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.
