Konda Surekha's Comments on Akkineni Family Invites Widespread Criticism

Hyderabad: Minister for Forest and Endowments Konda Surekha's comments on the divorce of celebrity couple Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu have invited widespread criticism in the film industry and the political circles.

Event hough Minister Konda Surekha apologised to the actors and their families, her remarks sparked a massive row and many film actors and Tollywood stars like Junior NTR, Allu Arjun, Chiranjeevi and Mahesh Babu strongly condemned the Minister's remarks and emphasized respecting privacy.

Konda Surekha alleged that Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao was responsible for the separation of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. This sparked a major backlash, leading both Samantha and Naga Chaitanya to publicly address the claims, firmly denying any political involvement in their decision to part ways.

The film industry stated that her statements are undeniably inappropriate. Meanwhile, senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal also condemned the Minister's derogatory remarks against the actress Samantha.

Naga Chaitanya’s stepmother Amala Akkineni has lashed out at Konda Surekha for her comments. She appealed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to make the Minister retract her statement.

“Mr Rahul Gandhiji, if you believe in human decency, please restrain your politicians and make your minister retract her venomous statements with an apology to my family. Protect the citizens of this country,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Telangana State Women’s Commission has responded to the controversy. The Commission stated that it has closely examined Konda Surekha’s remarks about Samantha.

It added that had the Minister not offered an unconditional apology to Samantha, the Commission would have taken a more stringent stance. However, the Commission now believes its involvement is no longer necessary. Additionally, the Commission noted that hero Nagarjuna issuing legal notices to the Minister is entirely a personal matter.