Published Aug 27, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 27, 2026 | 7:00 AM
Konda Surekha and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy
Synopsis: The Telangana Congress is battling internal dissent and public criticism from its own leaders, as recent episodes have shown. Continued open discord risks undermining the advantage it has through its numerical strength and the time that remains for the government.
In politics, leaders are rarely finished by outside enemies alone. More often, they damage themselves through public fights, sharp words and open rebellion. The saying holds: in politics there are suicides only… no murders. The wounds come from inside the party.
This truth is visible in the Telangana Congress today.
After winning power in 2023 and ending nearly ten years of Bharat Rashtra Samithi rule, the party under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy still holds a strong majority. Yet less than three years later, internal conflicts have become public and frequent. The opposition is not the main source of trouble. The party is hurting itself.
One of the clearest examples is the case of Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha.
Her daughter, Konda Susmita, made critical remarks against the Chief Minister and his family during a public event linked to Surekha’s birthday celebrations. Susmita claimed the Konda family had helped project Revanth Reddy earlier and later said power had gone to his head. These comments triggered strong reactions.
Around twenty Congress MLAs and senior leaders demanded strict action. Some even called for Surekha to quit the Cabinet or leave the party. The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee issued a show-cause notice holding her responsible for her daughter’s statements. The disciplinary committee has recommended dropping her from the Cabinet.
Surekha distanced herself from the remarks and met party leaders, but the episode has left deep marks. It showed how one family-linked comment could turn into a full political crisis inside the ruling party.
Similar trouble surrounds former minister G Chinna Reddy, who serves as vice-chairman of the State Planning Board.
He publicly alleged that Congress tickets in the last Assembly elections were given for money and that he was denied a ticket despite long service. He also made accusations against local MLAs. The party served him a show-cause notice. The disciplinary panel has recommended removing him from his post as well. His statements added to the list of senior voices questioning the leadership in public.
Other leaders have also faced action.
Senior Congress figure Jakkidi Prabhakar Reddy was suspended for personal and caste-related remarks against party colleagues. Notices went to more leaders for comments made in district meetings. Munugode MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy has been named in demands for disciplinary steps after statements seen as harming the party’s image.
These cases are not isolated. They form a pattern of public criticism, notices, suspensions and counter-complaints.
Behind these individual episodes lies a deeper problem. Many long-time Congress workers feel sidelined.
Leaders who stayed with the party during its years in opposition watch newcomers, especially those who defected from the BRS after 2023, receive posts and influence. This loyalist-versus-new-entrant tension has produced resignations, protests and open rifts in several districts. Coordination between the government and the party organisation has been weak. Ministers, MLAs and district presidents often appear to work at cross purposes.
The All India Congress Committee has held repeated meetings in Delhi and Hyderabad. The high command has stressed discipline, collective decisions and better teamwork. It has made clear that neither the Chief Minister nor the state party chief should act alone on major issues. Yet the public rows continue.
The government is not about to fall. The Assembly majority remains comfortable. Local election results have shown the party still has electoral strength. The real risk is gradual erosion of trust.
When ministers and MLAs attack one another openly, cadres on the ground feel confused. People notice that energy is spent on internal battles rather than on governance and the delivery of promises. Each public accusation, each demand for someone’s removal, becomes a form of political self-harm.
Konda Surekha’s case, Chinna Reddy’s allegations, the suspensions and the repeated notices all point to the same truth. No outside force forced these leaders to speak against their own party or government in public. The choices were internal.
In politics, such choices often prove more damaging than any attack from the opposition. The Telangana Congress still has numbers and time. But continued open discord risks turning strength into weakness. Unity, restraint and focus on the people are the only ways to avoid further self-inflicted wounds. The old observation remains accurate: “In politics, there are no murders—only political suicides.”
Also Read:
No Krishna can save this Kurukshetra: Telangana Congress tears itself apart
Promises kept, promises broken: How the Congress government in Telangana has fared
Is Telangana CM Revanth Reddy caught in a pincer?
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
