Telangana Minister Konda Surekha clarifies comments connecting Samantha and Naga's divorce to KTR: 'If anyone was offended...’

Telangana Minister Konda Surekha issued a statement on Thursday clarifying her earlier remarks regarding the divorce of actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, which had sparked controversy after she linked it to Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao.

In a post on X, Surekha explained that her comments were intended to highlight KT Rama Rao’s alleged disrespect towards women, not to offend Samantha or her fans. She expressed her willingness to retract her statement unconditionally if anyone, including Samantha, was hurt by her words.

హీరోయిన్ సమంత గారికి క్షమాపణలు

🔸నాలా ఒక్క ఆడబిడ్డ బాధపడకూడదు అని నా మాటలను వెనక్కి తీసుకుంటున్నాను (రాత్రి నా ట్విట్టర్ ద్వారా ట్వీట్ చేసి చెప్పాను).
🔸కేటీఆర్ ని వదిలే ప్రసక్తే లేదు, ఆయన కచ్చితంగా నాకు క్షమాపణ చెప్పాలి.
-- మంత్రి కొండ సురేఖ#KondaSurekha
•… pic.twitter.com/gv902nLMhI

— Congress for Telangana (@Congress4TS) October 3, 2024

"My remarks were aimed at questioning a leader’s demeaning behavior towards women, not to upset Samantha Prabhu. I admire your [Samantha's] self-made success, which is inspiring. If my comments offended you or your fans, I unconditionally take them back. Please don’t misunderstand," Surekha clarified.

What Did Konda Surekha Say?

According to ANI, Surekha had alleged that KT Rama Rao was involved in tapping the phones of actresses and blackmailing them. She reportedly said, "KT Rama Rao is responsible for Samantha’s divorce. He was a minister at the time and would tap actresses' phones, identify their vulnerabilities, and blackmail them." She also claimed that he would get them addicted to drugs as part of this exploitation, and that "Samantha, Naga Chaitanya, and their families are aware of this."

ఎన్ కన్వెన్షన్ ను కూల్చివేయకుండా ఉండాలంటే
సమంతను తన దగ్గరకు పంపాలని కేటీఆర్ డిమాండ్ చేశాడు : కొండా సురేఖ

సమంతను కేటీఆర్ దగ్గరకు వెళ్లమని నాగార్జున వాళ్లు ఒత్తిడి చేశారు.

సమంత అందుకు ఒప్పుకోలేదు.

దీంతో వెళితే వెళ్లు లేదంటే లేదు అని సమంతకు విడాకులు ఇచ్చారు.

మంత్రి కొండా… pic.twitter.com/VXlxgYWKpG

— BIG TV Breaking News (@bigtvtelugu) October 2, 2024

In response, Samantha Ruth Prabhu addressed the remarks, stating that her divorce was a "personal matter" and not influenced by external factors. Through a statement on Instagram, she clarified that her separation from Naga Chaitanya was done by "mutual consent and amicably," urging people to stop speculating about it.

Nagarjuna Akkineni, Naga Chaitanya’s father, also criticized Surekha’s comments, saying she should not exploit the personal lives of film stars to target political rivals, and called for respect for privacy.

pic.twitter.com/n1cSoiYGPN

— chaitanya akkineni (@chay_akkineni) October 2, 2024

Meanwhile, KT Rama Rao issued a defamation notice to Konda Surekha, accusing her of trying to damage his reputation and demanding an immediate retraction of her statements.

(With inputs from ANI)