More rifts in Telangana Congress Cabinet: Surekha accuses Ponguleti of meddling in Medaram tender

Endowments Minister Konda Surekha has accused Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy of interfering in the Rs 71 crore Medaram works tender. Her husband, Konda Murali, has raised the matter with senior Congress leaders, escalating tensions within the Telangana Cabinet

Warangal: Yet another rift has surfaced within the Congress Cabinet, with Endowments Minister Konda Surekha reportedly lodging a complaint with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy accusing Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy of meddling in the Medaram works tender process.

Surekha’s husband and former MLC Konda Murali is also learnt to have written to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and spoken to him over phone about issues in Warangal and what he described as Srinivas Reddy’s excessive interference in the Endowments Department.

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Surekha alleged that Srinivas Reddy was attempting to secure a Medaram works tender worth Rs 71 crore for one of his associates. The State government has sanctioned Rs 150 crore for development works at Medaram in connection with the Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara-2026.

In addition to Kharge, the couple also brought the issue to the notice of Telangana Congress in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan. Sources said Surekha and Murali are likely to meet senior Congress leaders soon to brief them on the situation in the erstwhile Warangal district.

This is not the first time the two ministers have clashed. Earlier, Srinivas Reddy was said to have influenced the cancellation of GO RT No. 66, which had appointed Congress leader Jammula Rajashekar, a follower of Deputy Chief Minister, as chairman of Peddammagudi temple at KP Jagannathapuram near Paloncha in Kothagudem district.

Overriding Surekha’s recommendation, Srinivas Reddy reportedly ensured the appointment of his supporter, Balineni Nageswara Rao, as temple chairman through another GO No.112 issued by Endowments Principal Secretary Shailaja Ramaiyer.