Hyderabad: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader P Muralidhar Rao on Saturday, September 5, reacted strongly to speculations that Konda Surekha, recently sacked from her minister post in the Telangana Cabinet, would join the party.
In an X post, Rao said, “BJP is NOT a BIN. Why is the media so eager to drag BJP into every speculative political story—just when the Congress crisis appears to be unfolding? Is this an attempt to prematurely stop the game, divert the narrative, and help Congress nip its troubles in the bud?”
He said that the BJP wants to emerge as a credible alternative to both Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana, with its own “culture, character and political content”.
“The party is not merely a dumping ground for disgruntled leaders,” he said.
He urged people to “be aware of the narrative” and suggested that there might be a hidden agenda behind the speculations.
A day before Rao’s response, BJP MP DK Aruna had clarified that there have been no talks within the BJP about inviting Surekha to the party. She called the Warangal East MLA’s dismissal “truly distressing”, saying it was a remarkable achievement for a woman to overcome the hardships of politics, stand her ground, and rise to this level.
She recalled the time when she and Surekha worked together as ministers in the undivided Andhra Pradesh government in 2009 and said that she was happy that a fellow woman leader was serving the state as a minister.
Aruna was with the Samajwadi Party before she joined the Congress, which she left in 2019 to join the BJP.
Konda Surekha controversy
Endowments Minister Konda Surekha was dropped from Telangana’s Council of Ministers on September 3, amid a disciplinary row over Surekha’s daughter’s remarks against Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
On August 19, Surekha’s daughter, Konda Sushmita Patel, made remarks against CM Revanth at an event in Geesugonda and also levelled corruption allegations against his family members.
Irked over the Chief Minister’s appeal to people in Parkal to vote for sitting MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy, Sushmita announced she would contest the upcoming elections from Parkal and would even run as an independent if the party high command denied her a ticket.
The disciplinary committee then issued a notice to Surekha directing her to submit a reply within three days. In her reply, Surekha said it was not proper to seek her explanation for the personal comments made by her daughter. She said holding her responsible for her daughter’s comments was against the principles of natural justice.
Condemning her removal from the Cabinet, Surekha alleged that Revanth Reddy blackmailed the Congress high command to oust her. She accused Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and MP Vem Narender Reddy of hatching a conspiracy to target her.
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