Warangal: Senior Congress leader and MLC Baswaraju Saraiah has challenged former Minister Konda Surekha to resign from her MLA post and contest against him as an independent candidate from the Warangal East Assembly constituency.

Saraiah said his challenge came in response to reported remarks by Surekha that even his own wife would not vote for him. He said he was ready to contest the election as an independent candidate and asked Surekha to do the same.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Saraiah said Surekha’s removal from the Telangana Cabinet was a consequence of her own actions and that the party leadership would not tolerate indiscipline or criticism of the party leadership.

He cited the action taken against senior Congress leader Dr. G. Chinna Reddy, who was removed as Vice-Chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board, and recalled that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had also faced suspension from the Congress for violating party rules.

Saraiah said it was inappropriate for Surekha to criticise Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders. He alleged that Konda Murali and Konda Surekha had repeatedly engaged in what he described as “blackmail politics” within whichever party they were associated with.

He further alleged that the Konda couple raises the Backward Classes (BC) issue mainly when facing political difficulties and claimed that they had not allowed BC leaders to rise in Warangal. Saraiah also criticised their remarks against senior leaders such as Ramasahayam Surender Reddy, calling such criticism inappropriate.