Telangana Chief Minister Konda Surekha apologized to the actors and their families amid huge backlash surrounding her comment on celebrity couple Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu's divorce, but did not back down from her allegations against Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader KT Rama Rao. She also stressed that Mr. Rao aka KTR should apologise.
Ms Surekha has alleged that KTR, a former minister, tapped the phones of actresses and blackmailed them. In this regard, she said that he was behind the divorce of Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya. “It is KT Rama Rao because of whom (actress) Samantha's divorce took place… He was a minister at that time and tapped the actresses' phones and then found their weak points to blackmail them… He used to make them drug addicts and then do this… Everyone knows this, Samantha, Naga Chaitanya, his family – everyone is aware that something like this happened,” she said.
The comments caused a huge row. Both Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya are top actors. Naga Chaitanya also belongs to the Akkineni family, one of the most influential families in the Telugu film industry.
Nagarjuna Akkineni, his father and veteran actor, reacted sharply to the minister's comments. “I strongly condemn the comments made by the Honorable Minister, Ms. Konda Surekha. Don't use the lives of movie stars who stay away from politics to criticize your opponents. Please respect the privacy of others. As a woman in a position of responsibility, your comments and accusations against our family are completely irrelevant and false. I request you to withdraw your comments immediately,” he said.
Naga Chaitanya and Samanth Ruth Prabhu also responded.
Naga Chaitanya said the decision to divorce is “one of the most painful and unfortunate decisions you have to make in life.” “After much consideration, I and my ex-husband have mutually decided to separate. It was a decision made in peace, because of our different life goals and in the interest of moving forward as two mature adults with respect and dignity. However, there have been several baseless and completely ridiculous gossips about this matter so far. “I have remained silent the entire time out of deep respect for my former husband and my family,” he said.
“Today, Minister Konda surekha garu's claim is not only false but absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. Women deserve to be supported and respected. Taking advantage and exploiting decisions about celebrities' personal lives for the sake of headlines is shameful. he added.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu said it takes a lot of courage and strength for a woman to survive in a glamorous industry where women are more often than not treated like props. “Konda Surekha Garu, I am proud of what this journey has given me, please do not downplay it. I hope you realize that your words as a minister carry significant weight. I implore you to be responsible and respect the privacy of individuals My Divorce is a personal matter, and I ask you not to speculate about it. Our choice to keep things private does not invite misrepresentation,” she said in a social media post : my divorce was consensual and amicable, without any political conspiracy. Can you please keep my name out of the political fray? I have always remained apolitical and want to continue to do so,” she added.
Top actors including Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR, Allu Arjun and Nani slammed the minister's comments.
Amid the backlash, Ms Surekha earlier responded to Samantha Ruth Prabhu and said she had no intention of hurting her feelings.
“My comments are meant to question a leader's denigration of women and not to hurt your feelings (Samantha Prabhu). The way you have grown up with self-empowerment is not only an admiration for me but also an ideal. .. If you or your fans are offended by my comments, I unconditionally withdraw my comments.
Former minister KTR has now sent a defamation notice to Ms Surekha. He has accused the ruling Congress of “disgusting and sickening politics” and asked leader Rahul Gandhi to send the minister to a mental health specialist.
