Hyderabad: The internal differences and power politics between Congress leaders in the undivided Nalgonda district spilled out into the open on Wednesday, July 8, as followers of Bhuvanagiri MP Ch Kiran Kumar Reddy and Tungaturthy MLA Mandhula Samuel clashed with sticks and pelted stones at each other in Suryapet district.
Nine people were reportedly injured and six vehicles damaged in the clashes. Police had to resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the agitated crowds.
The political factions led by former minister Ram Reddy Damodar Reddy and Mandhula Samuel have been at loggerheads ever since the Congress came to power in the state. Reddy’s followers, who claim to be the original Congress workers in the area, have been complaining about being sidelined in party programmes and other activities at the behest of Samuel.
After Reddy’s death in October 2025, the factional rivalry and the animosity between the two camps continued unabated.
Mandal committee formation the latest flashpoint
The formation of Congress’ mandal committees has emerged as the latest flashpoint between the two factions. Tungaturthy is an Assembly constituency that falls under Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Suryapet and Nalgonda districts, comprising nine mandals spread across these three districts.
Damodar Reddy’s followers, who now back Ch Kiran Kumar Reddy, have been alleging that Samuel has been calling the shots in the appointment of mandal presidents and the constitution of mandal committees, without giving due importance to the original Congress workers.
On Wednesday, Kiran Kumar Reddy’s followers had planned to travel to Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad to take up the issue with the party’s state leadership. They assembled at the Arvapally mandal headquarters, from where they intended to head to Hyderabad.
Samuel’s followers, however, tried to block them from leaving the venue, triggering violent clashes between the two factions. Workers from both sides attacked each other with sticks and pelted stones, leaving nine people injured. Police eventually brought the situation under control by resorting to a lathi-charge.
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