Yadagirigutta Trust Board row snowballs into major issue for Congress govt

The appointment of members to the Yadagirigutta Devasthanam Trust Board has triggered discontent within the Congress government in Telangana, with Endowments Minister Konda Surekha and several senior leaders expressing displeasure.

Hyderabad: The appointment of members to the Yadagirigutta Devasthanam Trust Board is snowballing into a major political issue for the Congress government, with discontent spreading beyond Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy to several senior party leaders, including Endowments Minister Konda Surekha.

The Minister skipped the Cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat on Thursday. While her office maintained that she had returned from London on Wednesday and was unwell, sources in Gandhi Bhavan said she was upset over being kept in the dark about the appointment of the Yadagirigutta Trust Board members.

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This is reportedly the second instance in which the Minister was kept in the dark about key developments concerning her own portfolio. During the Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, she had indirectly expressed reservations over the involvement of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy in matters relating to tenders and the allotment of contracts.

Meanwhile, several senior Congress leaders from the erstwhile Nalgonda district have also expressed their displeasure over the appointments. According to party sources, some of them discussed the issue with TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud and faulted the government for taking unilateral decisions without consulting local leaders.

The TPCC president had earlier backed the concerns raised by Rajgopal Reddy and assured that the issue would be taken up seriously. Senior leaders from the erstwhile Nalgonda district are also learnt to be preparing to raise the matter with AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, indicating that the controversy could escalate further within the party.