HYDERABAD: Even while expressing loyalty to the Congress and its national and state leadership, senior party leader Konda Murali, spouse of Environment and Forest Minister Konda Surekha, sparked fresh controversy on Saturday by making veiled and direct remarks against legislators, including ministers from within the party.
Murali also warned his detractors within the Congress not to “provoke” him and demanded the resignation of turncoat MLAs who had defected from the BRS to the Congress, an apparent reference to MLA Kadiyam Srihari.
Following his recent controversial remarks targeting Congress MLAs from Warangal district, Murali appeared before the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee’s (TPCC) disciplinary committee, chaired by MP Mallu Ravi. He reportedly submitted a six-page report addressing various internal dynamics within the party.
In the report, Murali is said to have alleged that Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, who also serves as the district in-charge minister for Warangal, has been exhibiting an indifferent attitude towards his wife, minister Konda Surekha.
He also highlighted that Ramasahayam Surender Reddy, uncle of Ponguleti, had to relinquish his sitting constituency after it was designated as a Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved seat during a past delimitation exercise.
Murali’s report is believed to detail the political landscape and factional challenges within the Congress in the erstwhile Warangal district, emphasising his own strong base and long-standing role in the region.
However, speaking to the media after his appearance before the committee, Murali refrained from disclosing the contents of the report. “I have always had respect for the Congress. I want to see Rahul Gandhi become the prime minister,” he said.
His visit to Hyderabad was marked by the presence of a large contingent of supporters, which observers believe was a calculated show of strength amid ongoing tensions within the party’s Warangal unit. In light of these tensions, security arrangements were significantly heightened.