Ex-MLC Konda Murali warns rivals, reaffirms wife’s candidacy for Warangal East

At a meeting with his followers in Warangal, Konda Murali reportedly said, "I am warning my rivals not to approach my followers. If they do, I will not spare them. I will tie them to a crane and hang them."

Warangal: The intensity of rivalry among factions in the district Congress further deepened in Warangal on Wednesday with the former MLC and senior Congress leader Konda Muralidhar Rao issuing a stern warning to his rivals, cautioning them against approaching his activists and threatening them with severe consequences. At a meeting with his followers here on Thursday, he reportedly said, “I am warning my rivals not to approach my followers. If they do, I will not spare them. I will tie them to a crane and hang them.”

The clash unfolded during a meeting held on Wednesday at a function hall in Warangal, where senior party leader and former Mayor Errabelli Swarna was being sworn in as the president of the Warangal District Congress Committee (DCC). The event turned violent as supporters of Swarna, followers of Enugala Venkatram Reddy and former Minister Konda Surekha clashed, resulting in minor injuries.

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Reacting to the unsavory episode, Murali also took the opportunity to address his followers at the Congress party meeting, reaffirming his wife’s candidacy for the upcoming assembly elections. He has made it clear that Konda Surekha would be contesting from the Warangal East assembly constituency at any cost.

Additionally, Murali, who held sway over politics in erstwhile Warangal for a long time, refuted allegations regarding his declining popularity and influence in Warangal. The internal conflicts within the Congress party have exposed the deep-seated divisions, and Murali’s warning to his rivals is a clear sign that the Congress party in Warangal is deeply divided. It seems that the clash on Wednesday is a worrying sign for the party which suggests that the divisions are not going away anytime soon.