I had a long and detailed discussion with our party in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan and PCC Chief Mahesh Kumar Goud about the latest developments. They assured me that they will make every effort to resolve the issue. Senior party leaders also promised to settle it. -Konda Surekha, Forest and Endowments Minister

metro india news  I hyderabad

A high-stakes political drama unfolded on Wednesday night, plunging the ruling Congress party into fresh internal strife as police stormed the residence of Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha to arrest her freshly sacked Officer on Special Duty (OSD), N. Sumanth. The incident, which escalated into a viral confrontation involving Surekha's daughter Konda Sushmitha, has exposed deep fissures within the party, with accusations of caste-based targeting and conspiracies flying thick and fast.

The chaos began around 10 PM when plainclothes Task Force personnel arrived at Surekha's Hyderabad home, acting on intelligence that Sumanth was sheltering there. Sumanth, initially appointed to the Telangana Pollution Control Board and later deputed to Surekha's office, was terminated earlier that day by government order amid allegations of corruption, misconduct, and extortion. Sources revealed he had allegedly threatened cement company executives in Nalgonda district with weapons to extract money, prompting Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to direct a swift probe via Chief Secretary and department heads.

Sushmitha, who confronted the officers demanding a warrant and barring them entry, turned the standoff into a spectacle captured on video that spread rapidly on social media. "We are being targeted by 'Reddy leaders' because we belong to the Backward Classes community," she fumed to reporters afterward, alleging a plot to coerce Sumanth into implicating her father, senior Congress leader Konda Murali, in the threats. She further lambasted Reddy's "attitude," questioning if her family must "fall at his feet" for mercy, and dragged in Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy—Surekha's cabinet colleague.

Surekha and Sumanth slipped away in a car as the drama peaked. By Thursday morning, Surekha had briefed Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on the 24-hour ordeal. AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan intervened with a phone call, urging Surekha to avoid media escalation and resolve matters internally. Heeding the advice partially, Surekha skipped an evening cabinet meeting at the Secretariat to meet Natarajan in person, signaling high-level party damage control.

Murali, addressing a press meet in Hanamkonda, distanced himself vehemently. "I know nothing about Sumanth or what happened at our home—I'm not even smartphone-savvy," he insisted, emphasizing his "cordial" ties with Revanth Reddy, whom he had backed for chief ministership. Promising an MLC berth, Murali questioned the targeting, noting the CM's recent visit to their home for festivities. He clarified Sushmitha's London-based business life keeps her out of politics.

The episode compounds Surekha's recent rift with Ponguleti, accused by her of undermining her authority. Party insiders whisper of Reddy faction machinations to sideline BC voices, fueling speculation of a broader purge. Surekha's camp vows restraint, but the viral footage and caste barbs have already ignited statewide debate