Discord in Warangal Congress: Minister Konda Surekha being isolated by party colleagues

Warangal Congress infighting has left Minister Konda Surekha isolated, with colleagues skipping events she attended. A recent clash with MLA Nayini Rajender Reddy over temple board appointments has widened the rift.

Warangal: Endowment Minister Konda Surekha is apparently being isolated by her party colleagues as the rift in the Warangal unit of the Congress is widening.

Cracks in the party became quite visible at the Praja Palana Dinotsavam celebrated on September 17 at the Warangal IDOC. The party’s legislators in the district, who were supposed to attend the celebrations as official guests along with the Minister, skipped the event and she was the only elected member seen at the celebrations.

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There has been a discussion among the party ranks that the legislators did not attend the event just to avoid the Minister’s presence. But they attended the same event at Hanamkonda where Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy was the guest.

MLCs Banda Prakash, Baswaraju Saraiah, MLAs KR Nagaraju and Donthi Madhava Reddy as well as Warangal district Congress president Errabelli Swarna and their followers were seen attending the celebrations in Hanamkonda.

The party leaders are discussing that the internal bickering between the opposing camps has even gone as far as changing the districts where the Ministers are supposed to participate as chief guests.

It is said that Surekha attended the recent Independence Day celebrations as the chief guest in Hanamkonda and she was also supposed to attend the Praja Palana Dinotsavam celebrations. But the recent verbal duel between MLA Nayini Rajender Reddy and the Minister over appointment of trustees for Bhadrakali Temple Board made the MLA to request the authorities to keep the Minister away from the celebrations.

As a result, Minister Srinivas Reddy, who was supposed to attend the celebrations in Warangal, was made the chief guest at the Hanamkonda celebrations. It is being said that those opposing Surekha told Gandhi Bhavan and the CMO that they would not attend celebrations in Hanamkonda if she was made the chief guest for the event.

Surekha and her husband, former MLC Konda Muralidhar Rao, are known for their rather caustic remarks against their own party men. The party ranks are worrying that the discord between the Minister and the MLAs in the two assembly constituencies could affect the party’s functioning.