In a communication released at night, the Governor’s office said Ms Surekha was dropped from the Cabinet with immediate effect on the advice of the Chief Minister.
Sources said Ms. Surekha had refused to resign, forcing the Chief Minister with the option of recommending her removal.
Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, a BC leader, gets the Cabinet rank as the Vice-Chairperson of the Telangana Planning Board.
Ms Nerella Sharada hails from the Goud community while G. Sudha Rani is from the Padmashali community to which Ms Surekha also belongs.
Ms. Sudha Rani hails from Warangal district, which is also the home district of Ms. Surekha.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has recommended that Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla remove Minister Konda Surekha from the Telangana Council of Ministers on Thursday afternoon.
In a communication released at night, the Governor’s office said Ms Surekha was dropped from the Cabinet with immediate effect on the advice of the Chief Minister. The release came after Mr. Revanth Reddy met the Governor at Lok Bhavan. Sources said Ms. Surekha had refused to resign, forcing the Chief Minister with the option of recommending her removal.
In a related development, the Chief Minister decided to rescind the appointment of G. Chinna Reddy as Vice-Chairman of the Telangana Planning Board. Both decisions came after two-day deliberations with the party high command in New Delhi for indiscipline. The decisions come against the backdrop of the Congress government seeking to enforce greater discipline within the party and the administration.
Ms Surekha’s removal stems from recent comments by her daughter Sushmitha, against the Chief Minister, and amid the political developments surrounding the Minister over the last year. Ms. Surekha sensed the possibility of her dismissal when she met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Wednesday where she did not get any assurance.
In a related development, the Chief Minister approved the appointment of Ms. Gadwal Vijayalakshmi as the new Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Board. He also approved the appointment of Nerella Sharada as Chairperson of the Telangana State Commission for Women and former Rajya Sabha MP G. Sudha Rani as the Chairperson of the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA).
The government’s fresh appointments appear aimed at countering criticism that a Backward Class woman has been dropped from the Cabinet. Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, a BC leader, gets the Cabinet rank as the Vice-Chairperson of the Telangana Planning Board. She belongs to the Munnuru Kapu caste. Ms Nerella Sharada hails from the Goud community while G. Sudha Rani is from the Padmashali community to which Ms Surekha also belongs.
Ms. Sudha Rani hails from Warangal district, which is also the home district of Ms. Surekha. Her appointment is being seen within Congress circles as a signal that another BC woman leader from the district is being given prominence in the government’s political and organisational scheme.
