Hanumakonda: Suspense is deepening day by day over the disciplinary actions to be taken in the dispute involving Congress MLAs from the undivided Warangal district.
On June 27, Minister Konda Surekha’s husband, Konda Muralidhar Rao, made remarks against five MLAs from his own party, causing a political storm in the region.
He made sensational comments about Parakala MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy, claiming the latter had come to his house before elections and begged for support. He accused Kadiyam Srihari of hatching political conspiracy, saying he lacks leadership qualities. He also accused Gandha Satyanarayana Rao, Nayini Rajender Reddy and KR Nagaraju of working against him, speaking openly to the media. In an interview, Muralidhar not only made serious allegations against Srihari, but also claimed that the five MLAs were conspiring against him with the encouragement of Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. The remarks became political ammunition for the Opposition in the district.
Taking these controversial remarks seriously, MLC Basavaraj Saraiah, MLAs Nayini, Gandha Satyanarayana, Kadiyam, Revuri, Nagaraju, along with chairman Inagala Venkatarama Reddy and Warangal DCC president Errabelli Swarna, met the next day at MLA Nayini Rajender Reddy’s residence here and gave a strong rebuttal to the Konda couple through the media.
On June 29 and 30, the issue was brought to the attention of PCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud and Congress Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, along with written complaints.
The complaints stated that the controversial actions and inappropriate comments by the Konda couple were damaging both the party and the government. They claimed the couple was promoting factional politics in their constituencies and levelling baseless allegations, creating political troubles. They also accused the couple of using a former rowdy-sheeter as a front to engage in misdeeds, with the same person influencing all police stations in the East constituency, tarnishing the government’s image. They demanded that the couple rein in its followers by July 5 or the party must decide whether to retain them or the complainants.
Natarajan took the complaints seriously. Under the direction of the PCC disciplinary committee, further action was initiated. A special committee was formed and the Konda couple was issued notices to provide an explanation.
Following this Goud met Konda Murali, who then appeared before disciplinary committee chairman Mallu Ravi. Murali explained that the MLAs were conspiring to politically sideline him and damage his position as a prominent BC leader in the district. However, after this explanation, Murali told the media that he had come to Gandhi Bhavan voluntarily out of respect for the party and had not been summoned.
The MLAs then told the committee leaders that Murali had not given a clear explanation why he criticised them.
As a result, another notice was issued to Murali demanding a more detailed explanation. Despite receiving the notice, he showed no signs of backing down. Around the same time, his daughter, Sushmita Patel, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she would contest from Parakala in the next election—something the party leadership reportedly took seriously.
On Thursday morning, the Konda couple met Natarajan and reportedly explained that some public representatives in Warangal were deliberately provoking them and that they were working loyally for the party. Later, speaking to the media, Murali said he had been facing such political harassment in Warangal for 44 years and was not afraid of threats, asserting that people were with them.
The committee was expected to complete its inquiry and submit a report to the leadership by July 5. However, due to AICC chief Kharge’s meeting in Hyderabad and other party events, there was some delay. On Saturday it requested both the couple and the MLAs to appear before it on Monday.
Meanwhile, it is learnt the committee has entrusted Nayini Rajender Reddy, who served as DCC president for 12 years, with the responsibility of facilitating a compromise between the warring factions. As local body elections approach, the party is anxiously watching how the feud among MLAs will unfold. The high command is reportedly weighing the consequences of taking action against the Konda couple for their comments and the possible impact on the elections. To ensure success in the elections, it is believed to be considering a temporary truce between the factions, uniting all MLAs under a common message of unity to deliver a strong blow to Opposition parties.
