A fresh dispute over the Parkal Assembly seat has brought internal differences in the Telangana Congress into the open, with Konda Sushmita, daughter of senior minister Konda Surekha, publicly challenging Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

Speaking in Parkal on Wednesday, Sushmita questioned the chief minister’s support for sitting MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy and openly challenged his authority over the Congress ticket. Sushmita is aspiring to contest from Parkal on a Congress ticket.

Responding to Revanth Reddy’s backing of the sitting MLA, Sushmita said there was no need to wait for two years and suggested that the MLA should resign and seek a fresh mandate immediately.

She further escalated her remarks by saying, “Whether you, your father, or your grandfather come, I will be the MLA of Parkal.”

Sushmita also said she was prepared to contest the election as an independent candidate if the Congress did not give her the ticket.

Konda Sushmita questions Revanth Reddy’s authority

Sushmita directly questioned the chief minister’s role in deciding her electoral prospects, asking, “Who is Revanth to decide my ticket?”

She also accused Revanth Reddy of arrogance and alleged that his leadership had turned the Congress into a “TD Congress”. She claimed that several leaders associated with the original Congress were unhappy with the direction of the party.

Sushmita also made allegations concerning a Rs 200-crore land deal involving the chief minister’s brother. She warned that she could reveal what she described as other alleged scams involving members of Revanth Reddy’s family.

These allegations were made by Sushmita and are presented as such.

Congress moves into damage control

The public confrontation has prompted disciplinary action within the Telangana Congress.

The party’s state disciplinary committee has sought an explanation from Konda Surekha within three days over her daughter’s remarks against Revanth Reddy.

Separately, senior leader Jakkidi Prabhakar Reddy was suspended, while former minister and Planning Board vice-chairman Chinna Reddy was also asked to explain his position.

The actions came after the Congress high command had emphasised that indiscipline at the ministerial level would not be tolerated and that differences within the party should be resolved internally.

Komatireddy factor adds to Congress tensions

The latest confrontation has also brought the role of Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy into focus.

Rajagopal Reddy has publicly criticised the Revanth Reddy government, including by raising corruption-related allegations and questioning the role of outsiders and sections of the administration.

His criticism adds another dimension to the internal tensions already visible within the Telangana Congress.

Old guard vs Revanth-era leadership

At the centre of the dispute is a broader divide between the Congress’s established leadership and the power structure that has emerged under Revanth Reddy.

The party’s senior leadership includes Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, D Sridhar Babu, Damodar Rajanarasimha and Konda Surekha, along with veteran leader V Hanumantha Rao. Several of these leaders had previously expressed reservations about Revanth Reddy’s rise and his elevation as TPCC chief.

On the other side is the organisational structure associated with Revanth Reddy’s leadership. It includes TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, CWC special invitee Ch Vamshi Chand Reddy, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, Rajya Sabha MPs Anil Kumar Yadav and Vem Narender Reddy.

Ministers including Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and D Anasuya Seethakka have also been described as being aligned with Revanth Reddy.

What happens next in Telangana Congress?

The public challenge from Konda Sushmita has turned what could have remained an internal ticket dispute into a broader political confrontation.

The Congress leadership now faces the challenge of managing dissent among senior leaders while maintaining the authority of the chief minister. A tough disciplinary approach could risk further alienating established leaders with regional influence, while allowing open dissent to continue could weaken the leadership’s control over the state unit.

For now, the Parkal ticket dispute has become another visible sign of the internal tensions within the Telangana Congress.

The ongoing protest by app-based cab and bike drivers in Bhubaneswar escalated into violence on Wednesday, with police arresting around 80 protesters and reporting injuries to 13 personnel.

The drivers and bike riders have been on a cease-work protest since August 17 over a seven-point charter of demands that includes a fare hike, lower application fees, social security and other benefits.

Hundreds of protesters marched from Raj Mahal Square towards Mahatma Gandhi Marg on Wednesday and blocked the road, affecting traffic around Master Canteen Square and areas close to the railway station.

Protesters allegedly pelt stones at police

According to police, personnel deployed at the spot attempted to persuade the protesters to clear the road. The situation allegedly turned violent when some protesters threw stones at the police force.

Police also alleged that three police vans and several government-run Ama buses were vandalised during the incident.

Narasingha Bhol, Additional Commissioner of Police (Cuttack-Bhubaneswar), said 13 police personnel, including the inspector in charge of the Capital Police Station, were injured.

“We are examining the CCTV footage. Strict legal action will be taken against all those who indulged in the violence,” Bhol said.

Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said around 80 protesters were arrested and vehicles parked at the protest site were seized.

The DCP said police had permitted the drivers to demonstrate at Mahatma Gandhi Marg on August 17, but the protesters continued their agitation and blocked a major road, causing inconvenience to commuters.

The situation has since returned to normal, with vehicular movement resuming. Police have also deployed additional personnel at Lower PMG.

Transport authority examines seized vehicles

The transport authority has started examining the documents of the vehicles seized during the protest.

Additional Transport Commissioner Sangram Patnaik said registration certificates of vehicles without valid documents would be cancelled.

“We are examining the details of the seized vehicles. We will cancel the registration certificate of vehicles that don’t have valid documents,” Patnaik said.

The prolonged strike has also affected commuters, with a large number of cabs, bikes and auto-rickshaws remaining off the roads.

Odisha government working on fare chart

Odisha Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena said the government is preparing a rate chart for online cab and bike ride operators.

Housing and Urban Development Minister K C Mahapatra said the government also plans to further improve the Odisha Yatri app, with the aim of ensuring that drivers receive greater benefits from rides.

The Congress has decided to continue with its longstanding position of singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party events, amid an ongoing political row over the National Song.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Thursday reaffirmed its 1937 resolution on Vande Mataram. The decision has drawn strong criticism from the BJP, which accused the opposition party of placing its political position above the country.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi described the Congress as a “new Muslim League” and questioned the party’s “patriotism and loyalty” to India.

BJP attacks Congress over Vande Mataram stand

Reacting to the CWC decision, Trivedi said the Congress had undermined its claim of being the principal party associated with India’s freedom struggle.

He alleged that the decision showed the Congress considered the party to be above the Constitution, Parliament and the country.

Trivedi also compared the Congress’s position with the Muslim League’s opposition to singing the complete version of Vande Mataram in 1931.

Congress defends 1937 resolution

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal defended the party’s decision and accused the BJP of politicising the National Song and National Anthem.

Venugopal said Vande Mataram was an emotional issue for the Congress and maintained that the party’s position was based on the decision taken by its top leadership in 1937.

He referred to the presence of leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel at the time.

Venugopal also accused the BJP of using the controversy as a distraction from issues such as alleged paper leaks and “chanda chori”.

Vande Mataram row intensifies

The latest dispute comes amid a broader political controversy over the singing of Vande Mataram. The government had earlier pushed for the full version to be sung at public gatherings and official events and Parliament passed a Bill making disruption or prevention of the National Song’s singing a criminal offence, according to the report.

The controversy intensified after former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was seen making gestures while the full National Song was being sung at the Congress headquarters on Independence Day. The BJP alleged that she was objecting to the full version, while the Congress rejected the claim.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also faced criticism after singing a shorter version of Vande Mataram at an event in Goa on Monday. The BJP termed it disrespectful to the National Song.

Kharge defended his position, saying he had sung the version previously sung by leaders including Gandhi, Nehru, Sardar Patel and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said that if singing that version was a crime, cases should also be filed against those leaders.