Meenakshi Natarajan, the new Telangana Congress in-charge, has taken a bold beginning, moving quickly to strengthen party discipline. Within a mere 48 hours of taking charge, she has already demonstrated her stern leadership by suspending Congress MLC Chintapandu Naveen, better known as Teenmaar Mallanna. This firm action indicates a zero-tolerance policy towards indiscipline in the party.
Natarajan, who formally assumed office on Friday, lost little time in fixing internal party issues. On her orders, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Disciplinary Committee suspended Mallanna on Saturday, clearly stating that breaking party rules will not be tolerated.
Since Congress is ruling at the moment in Telangana, Mallanna, an incumbent MLC, has found himself at the centre of various controversies. He was often spouting controversial remarks against the Reddy community and pointing fingers at Congress leaders from the community directly.
Positioning himself as a representative of BC, SC, and ST communities, Mallanna participated in various caste-based gatherings, delivering provocative speeches that stirred internal discord within the party. His aggressive rhetoric led to growing tensions, ultimately prompting party leadership to intervene.
Realizing the damage caused to party cohesion, the TPCC Disciplinary Committee served a show-cause notice on Mallanna on February 5, asking for a clarification of his statement. He was given seven days’ time from February 12 to give a reply, but he disregarded the notice completely, refusing to even accept it.
While reviewing the party affairs in Hyderabad on Friday, Meenakshi Natarajan reviewed current party issues, and Mallanna’s case was brought up for discussion. She asserted that party discipline is not negotiable, irrespective of one’s standing. After her strong statement, the party moved quickly, suspending Mallanna on Saturday morning.
This suspension is a strong warning to all party workers that breaking party rules will not be accepted. With Meenakshi Natarajan at the helm, the Telangana Congress is strengthening discipline, unity, and accountability so that no one, whether he is an MLA or not, can challenge party principles.