Surekha attacks Revanth, seeks continuation in Cabinet

Endowments Minister Konda Surekha on Wednesday launched a direct attack on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy after meeting AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi, questioning the Congress leadership’s decision to hold her responsible for comments made by her daughter Sushmita.

Ms. Surekha said she had explained her position to the party’s central leadership and requested that she be allowed to continue in the Cabinet. She maintained that her daughter was a married and independent woman and that she (Surekha) could not be held responsible for her remarks. “I have told the Congress leadership everything I have to say. The party leaders said they would think about it,” she told the media during an informal interaction in Delhi.

Ms. Surekha said she would neither condemn nor defend her daughter’s comments. The Minister also questioned the disciplinary action initiated against her and said issuing a show-cause notice to her was a mistake. She said she had submitted written explanations to Mr. Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal.

Ms. Surekha also questioned the Congress leadership’s handling of complaints against other leaders. She asked why action had not been initiated against Chief Minister Revanth Reddy over his reported statement that he would remain Chief Minister for 10 years. She questioned whether such remarks would not attract disciplinary action. “Action should be taken against the Chief Minister before action is taken against me,” she said.

She further questioned why show-cause notices had not been issued to MLAs and other party leaders who had spoken against her. Ms. Surekha alleged that different standards were being applied within the party and raised the issue of representation of backward classes. She said she was a BC Minister and suggested that action against her could have political consequences if it was perceived as targeting a BC leader.

Ms. Surekha said no one in the party had so far asked her to resign and that she would not step down on her own. She maintained that she had been discharging her responsibilities as a Minister without any allegations of corruption and wanted to continue serving the people.