Reports from Telangana indicate Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is strongly opposing efforts by the Congress high command to bring government functioning under tighter party control through a “coordination committee”.
The friction is said to have grown after the Chief Minister appointed Surekha, wife of Telugu actor Chiranjeevi, as a trustee member of the revamped Narasimha Swamy temple board at Yadagirigutta in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. State Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud reportedly complained to the party leadership that he was not consulted, while Endowments Minister Konda Surekha also expressed displeasure.
In addition, some ministers and senior Congress leaders have alleged that they are not being consulted on government welfare schemes, adding to the pressure on the Chief Minister. Against this backdrop, an emergency meeting was held in Delhi late last month under Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, with Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan also attending.
Following the meeting, the party leadership is said to have decided on additional oversight of the Telangana government. An eight-member state coordination committee was formed, including Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Mahesh Kumar Goud and Meenakshi Natarajan. The high command also reportedly restricted the Chief Minister from reviewing certain departments under senior ministers and imposed limits on non-political appointments.
Sources claim Revanth Reddy is particularly unhappy with Meenakshi Natarajan’s continued presence in Hyderabad and her involvement in day-to-day party matters and, at times, government affairs. He is said to have cautioned that the coordination committee should not function like a “super government”, and expressed concern about the party’s prospects in the 2028 Assembly election if the situation continues.
