Telangana minister apologises for Samantha-Naga Chaitanya divorce remark

A day after sparking a huge controversy with her remarks about the divorce of actors Samantha Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya and Bharat Raksha Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao’s alleged involvement in it, Telangana minister Konda Surekha has apologised for those.

Surekha’s apology came in a series of tweets after KTR sent her a legal notice, seeking that she either take her statement back or face legal action.

Minister’s apology

Surekha in her tweets claimed that her intention was to question KTR’s “belitting of women” and not hurt Samantha’s sentiments or demean her family.

“I never use anyone’s personal problems to target them, nor did I do it in your [Samantha’s] case. That’s not my style or intention,” she said.

“I have never crossed the boundaries in my political discourse, nor have I made baseless allegations. If my words have hurt or offended you, I express my regret. I always strive to uphold the dignity of my profession,” the Congress leader added.

Surekha’s claims

On Tuesday, a video of Konda Surekha went viral in which she could be heard lashing out at KT Rama Rao, son of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, for many actresses leaving movies and marrying early. Surekha also accused him of blackmailing film personalities after getting them addicted to drugs.

Surekha linked the divorce to N Convention, a property owned by Naga Chaitanya’s father Nagarjuna, a part of which was recently demolished. She claimed Nagarjuna had “forced” Samantha to go (to KTR) and that led to the divorce. She claimed “the whole industry knows about it”.

She claimed two to three other actresses also got married early due to drugs cases. “With the power they (BRS) had previously, they tapped phones, made records and threatened them,” she alleged.

Also read: Telangana minister stirs up huge row linking Samantha-Naga Chaitanya divorce to KT Rama Rao

Uproar over remark

KTR called the remarks “baseless and malicious” and accused her of trying to tarnish his image. Several celebrities, including Naga Chaitanya and Samantha, also lashed out at her.

Samantha wrote a note on Instagram asking to be left out of political battles. “To be a woman, To come out and work, To survive in a glamorous industry where women are more often than not treated as props, To fall in love & to fall out of love, To still stand up and fight.... It takes a lot of courage and strength. Konda Surekha Garu, I am proud of what this journey turned me into please don’t trivialise it (sic),” she wrote.

Terming her divorce “a personal matter”, she said, “I hope you [Surekha] realise that your words carry significant weight as a minister. I implore you to be responsible and respectful of individuals’ privacy. My divorce is a personal matter, and I request that you refrain from speculating about it….To clarify: my divorce was mutual consent and amicable, with no political conspiracy involved (sic).”

Support from Junior NTR

Telugu actor Junior NTR hit out at Surekha as well for her “baseless statements”. He said dragging people’s personal lives into politics was a “new low" and public figures in responsible positions “must maintain dignity and respect for privacy”.

“It’s disheartening to see baseless statements thrown around carelessly, especially about the film industry. We will not sit quietly while others make baseless allegations against us. We should rise above this and maintain respect for each other’s boundaries. Let’s ensure our society does not normalize such reckless behaviour in democratic India,” he added.

Nagarjuna’s censure

Earlier, actor Nagarjuna also strongly condemned the minister’s comment. “Don’t use the lives of film stars who stay away from politics to criticise your opponents. Please respect other people’s privacy (sic),” he wrote in Telugu on X.

“As a woman in a responsible position, your comments and accusations against our family are completely irrelevant and false. I request you to withdraw your comments immediately (sic),” his post read.

Naga Chaitanya and Samantha announced their separation in 2021. Naga Chaitanya got engaged to actor Sobhita Dhulipala in August.