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Published Oct 21, 2025 | 7:18 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 21, 2025 | 7:18 PM
Konda Surekha. (X)
Politics and religion mix so well in India, and Telangana is no exception.
Take the latest instance in Vemulawada on Deepavali day. The revered Sringeri Peethadhipathi visited the famous Lord Shiva temple. Naturally, the occasion demanded nothing short of a spiritual spectacle. The arrangements were elaborate, the atmosphere festive, and the flex banners fluttered proudly in the temple breeze.
But one look at those banners, and it was clear this wasn’t just divine devotion on display. The smell of politics was unmistakable—part ego, part insecurity.
The main banner outside the temple and elsewhere in the temple town featured the smiling faces of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Ministers D. Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar, and the local MLA (and government whip) Adi Srinivas.
And whose divine face was conspicuously missing? None other than Endowments Minister Konda Surekha—the one minister whose photo actually made sense to have there. After all, temples fall under her portfolio. Technically, she’s the host. But apparently, in Telangana politics, logic often takes the last seat.
Soon, tongues wagged. Videos of the missing-photo flexes went viral, and political detectives across social media began connecting the dots with unusual haste. The controversy came right after Surekha’s daughter accused the Chief Minister of harassment — following the police visit to arrest Surekha’s former OSD, N Sumanth, over allegations of threatening cement company executives at gunpoint.
While the flexes fluttered dramatically in Vemulawada, back in Hyderabad, the political soap opera was hitting its emotional climax. The Konda couple — Surekha and her husband Murali — announced a ceasefire with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy after a gentle nudge from the AICC. Don’t confuse it with Donald Trump mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan—it is highly disputed.
The Kondas drove to Revanth Reddy’s Jubilee Hills residence, draped a shawl around him, and smiled for the cameras like long-lost friends at a reunion. The intense hatred of yesterday suddenly looked like a blooming friendship today.
To recap: in Vemulawada, Konda Surekha’s picture goes missing from the temple flexes; in Hyderabad, she’s busy honouring the same Chief Minister with a shawl. Maybe in the Congress, love and loathing – both come from the same kitchen, and which one you get depends entirely on how the cookie crumbles.
