Hyderabad: Konda Surekha ties rakhi to CM Revanth amid Parkal row

Hyderabad: Telangana ministers Seethakka and Konda Surekha tied a rakhi to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at his residence in Jubilee Hills on the occasion of the Rakhi festival on Friday, August 28.

This marks Konda Surekha’s first public appearance alongside the Chief Minister since her daughter Konda Sushmitha Patel’s remarks against Revanth Reddy last week sparked a fresh political controversy in the Telangana Congress.

The row began after Revanth Reddy publicly backed sitting Parkal MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy and urged voters to support him in the next election. The Konda camp, which has for months been projecting Sushmitha as a prospective candidate from the constituency, took objection to the remarks. Sushmitha responded by declaring she would contest from Parkal, with or without a Congress ticket, and went on to question the Chief Minister’s authority over candidate selection.

Following the outburst, Congress MP and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Disciplinary Committee chairman Mallu Ravi issued a notice to Konda Surekha, seeking her explanation within three days. Surekha subsequently told the disciplinary committee that her daughter’s remarks were personal and not linked to her own political stand.

Friday’s Rakhi Pournami visit brought Konda Surekha and Revanth Reddy together publicly for the first time since the row erupted. Along with Seethakka, she tied a rakhi to the Chief Minister at his official residence, marking the traditional festival even as tensions within the party over the Parkal ticket remain unresolved.