Saraiah challenges Surekha to quit MLA post, contest as an independent from Warangal (East)

Senior Congress leader and MLC Baswaraju Saraiah challenged former Minister Konda Surekha to quit her MLA post and contest against him as an independent from Warangal (East). He also defended her Cabinet dismissal and criticised her political conduct.

Warangal: Senior Congress leader MLC Baswaraju Saraiah has challenged former Minister Konda Surekha to quit her MLA post and contest against him as an independent candidate from Warangal (East) Assembly segment.

He said this with reference to reported remarks made by Surekha against the MLC, wherein she said even his own wife would not vote for him. The MLC said that he was ready to contest as an independent and told the ex-Minister to do the same.

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Speaking to the media here on Friday, Saraiah noted that the dismissal of Surekha from the State Cabinet was entirely her own doing and there was nothing wrong with it. The party high command would not tolerate anyone who speaks against the party leadership while violating party discipline.

The party leadership acted against a senior leader like Dr. G Chinna Reddy, dropped him from the position of Vice-Chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board, and even Indira Gandhi was once suspended from the party for violating the party rules, he said.

Stating that it was inappropriate to criticise Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the party leaders, the MLC alleged that Konda Murali and his wife Surekha were used to engage in blackmail politics; blackmailing members of whichever party they belonged to was second nature to them.

They only raise the ‘BC’ (Backward Class) slogan when they face adversity; in reality, the Konda couple has never allowed a single BC leader to rise in Warangal. Criticising senior leaders like Ramasahayam Surender Reddy was beneath their stature, Saraiah added.