Telangana CM drops Forest Minister after daughter’s remarks, reshuffles key posts

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy dismissed Telangana Forest Minister Konda Surekha from her position on Thursday, following a dispute over her daughter's critical comments targeting Reddy and other party leaders. The move was endorsed by the Governor, Shiv Pratap Shukla. Surekha had faced backlash after her daughter made disparaging remarks, leading to protests from ruling party members and officials.

Reddy also withdrew the appointment of G Chinna Reddy as Vice Chairman of the State Planning Board. The decision to take action stemmed from recommendations from the Congress state unit's disciplinary committee, which included AICC leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal. Surekha met with Kharge and the AICC's party affairs head in New Delhi, presenting her perspective while asserting her continued commitment to the cabinet.

However, she accused unnamed individuals of pressuring her MLAs to initiate disciplinary proceedings against her. She also sought action against those who criticized her. Surekha declined to confirm or deny her support for her daughter's comments, emphasizing her daughter's independence. Chinna Reddy, who had criticized party MLA Tudi Meghareddy, was replaced by Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, the Chairperson of the Women's Commission.

The government also appointed G Sudha Rani as Chairperson of the Kakatiya Urban Development Board in Warangal.