Political tensions escalated on Thursday, a day after the Telangana government suspended state forest and endowments minister Konda Surekha’s officer on special duty Sumanth for alleged irregularities.
The controversy drew police action and an intervention from the Congress high command. AICC Telangana affairs in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan reportedly spoke to Minister Surekha over the phone, advising her not to speak to the media and to “sit down and resolve the issue peacefully.”
Sources said Natarajan expressed concern over the situation and indicated that the matter should end without further escalation.
The episode began after the government removed Sumanth from his post as OSD, following complaints that he had allegedly intimidated cement company owners for personal gain.
Acting on these allegations, Hyderabad police visited Surekha’s residence after receiving information that Sumanth was hiding there.
During the police visit, Surekha’s daughter Konda Sushmita confronted officers and accused senior Congress leaders of orchestrating a conspiracy to malign her mother’s reputation.
“These are deliberate attempts by senior Congress leaders including chief minister A Revanth Reddy to target my parents,” she alleged before the media.
Meanwhile, task force police arrived at the minister’s house early Thursday morning to detain Sumanth. Tension prevailed as Sushmita objected to the police entry and accused the ruling party of political vendetta.
In a parallel development, Surekha’s husband Konda Murali, held a press conference in Hyderabad, clarifying that the family had no differences with the chief minister.
He denied any knowledge of Sumanth’s alleged acts and said he had never even visited his wife’s office. He further stated that Revanth Reddy had assured him an MLC position, which he expects will materialize soon.