Revanth Reddy's Parkal remarks trigger major rift in Warangal Congress

The Telangana Congress' internal rift over the Parkal Assembly seat has widened, with the party's disciplinary committee seeking an explanation from Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha over her daughter Konda Sushmitha's public attacks on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and sitting MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy.

The move follows a series of public exchanges that began after Revanth Reddy's visit to Parkal on Aug. 16, when he backed Prakash Reddy for the seat in the next Assembly elections.

The disciplinary committee, headed by Lok Sabha MP Mallu Ravi, formally sought an explanation from Surekha over her daughter's comments against Revanth Reddy and Prakash Reddy. She has been given three days to respond after the panel reviewed the available material.

The action has added to factional tensions in the Warangal Congress, where multiple leaders are now signalling their interest in contesting from Parkal.

How the Parkal dispute began

The immediate trigger was Revanth Reddy's Aug. 16 visit to Parkal to launch development works.

Addressing a public gathering, the chief minister declared that sitting MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy would be the party's candidate for Parkal again in the next Assembly elections. He also urged voters to support Prakash Reddy with an even bigger margin than before.

The remarks unsettled Surekha's camp. Her family has long signalled its intention to field Sushmitha from the same seat.

Surekha and her husband, former MLC Konda Murali, have repeatedly spoken of Sushmitha's candidature. Her supporters questioned how the chief minister could name a candidate without clearance from the Congress high command.

Sushmitha herself signalled her intentions on social media by posting an Instagram story captioned "Upcoming Parkal MLA."

Sushmitha challenges Revanth Reddy

On Wednesday, August 19, during Surekha's birthday celebrations in Geesugonda, Sushmitha confronted the chief minister directly.

She asserted that she would contest the Parkal seat and challenged either Prakash Reddy or Revanth Reddy's own family to run against her.

Sushmitha also pushed back against Revanth Reddy's claim that he intended to remain chief minister for a decade. She noted that even former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy had not made such a claim and reminded Revanth Reddy that he had once lost an Assembly election from Kodangal.

She additionally accused a close aide of the chief minister of helping set up a shell company worth Rs 200 crore involving his younger brother.

Speaking later the same day in Parkal, Sushmitha sharpened her attack, asking why the chief minister was entering what she called "Konda territory" to campaign for Prakash Reddy.

She accused Revanth Reddy and his brothers of enriching themselves at the state's expense and alleged that government land worth Rs 200 crore was involved in the shell-company matter. She also asked why the chief minister was picking a fight with her family.

Sushmitha invoked her Kapu and Padmashali community identities, saying her community knows agriculture and weaving but not how to be subservient. She also claimed that people around the chief minister, whom she accused of acting as brokers, were misleading him.

Despite the attacks, she said she continued to respect the party's central leadership, including the AICC, and indicated that she would contest as an independent if necessary.

She separately accused Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders of threatening a businessman at gunpoint and attempting to intimidate her mother's staff.

More leaders eye Parkal

The dispute has also opened another front within the district Congress.

Hanamkonda district Congress president Engala Venkatram Reddy has announced that he too intends to contest the Parkal seat in the next election.

He wanted to contest in both 2018 and 2023 but stepped aside on the high command's instructions each time. He now says he is confident of getting the party ticket.

The disciplinary committee has also acted on two unrelated matters around the same time. It sought an explanation from former minister and Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman G Chinnareddy over alleged anti-party remarks and inappropriate comments about a local MLA at a meeting in Wanaparthy.

The panel also ordered the suspension of senior LB Nagar Congress leader Jakkidi Prabhakar Reddy over allegedly derogatory remarks against several individuals.

Congress leaders in the district believe the Parkal dispute will continue to affect the party's prospects as it moves towards the next Assembly elections.

(With inputs from PTI)