Konda Surekha Under Fire From Film Stars, Politicians: From Nagarjuna, Rajamouli To Samantha - Who Said What

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Telangana Minister Konda Surekha has been under fire for her remarks claiming that BRS leader KT Rama Rao was the reason behind the divorce of actors Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya. She faced massive backlash for her comments as she alleged that KTR tapped the phones of actors and blackmailed them. On Thursday, Surekha “unconditionally” retracted her comments, following mass criticism from several actors and Political personalities.

Many film stars slammed Konda Surekha over her remark. Here's what they said.

1. Telugu superstar and Naga Chaitanya's father Nagarjuna Akkineni filed a defamation case against Konda Surekha on Thursday. In his complaint, a copy of which was shared by son Naga Chaitanya on his social media, Nagarjuna has alleged that the minister's remarks damaged his family's reputation.

"The statement was made with the malicious intent of conveying falsehoods to the public at large, intending to cause harm to the complainant and his family reputation for political gain and sensationalism..." news agency PTI reported, citing the complaint.

2. On her Instagram Story, Samantha wrote there was "no political conspiracy" behind her split with Chaitanya, which was announced in 2021. She clarified that her divorce was by“mutual consent and amicable.”

3. In his note shared on X, Naga Chaitanya said the divorce was one of the "most painful and unfortunate" decisions of his life, and that Surekha's claims were "ridiculous".

4. Filmmaker SS Rajamouli called for respecting boundaries and maintaining dignity. Taking to X, Rajamouli posted, "Respect boundaries, maintain dignity. Baseless allegations are intolerable, especially when made by public officials! #FilmIndustryWillNotTolerate."

5. Actor Mahesh Babu joined the list to condemn her. Taking to his X handle on Thursday, Mahesh Babu wrote, "...As a father of a daughter, as a husband to a wife and as son to a mother... I am deeply anguished by the unacceptable remarks and language used by a woman minister on another woman. Freedom of speech can be exercised as long as it does not hurt other's sentiments."

"I strongly condemn the cheap and baseless comments made and request people in public domain to refrain from making the film fraternity a soft target. The women of our country and our film fraternity should be treated with utmost respect and dignity. #FilmIndustryWillNotTolerate," Mahesh Babu said.

6. Actor Vijay Deverakonda also shared his thoughts on Surekha's comment. "Struggling to express in decent language my thoughts and feelings on what happened, today's politics, politicians and their behaviour. Just want to remind many politicians out there that we vote for them to look after us, to talk about infrastructure and investment , bring in jobs and prosperity, talk about health and improve education and facilities, help us grow.. We cannot allow or be ok with this as people. Politics cannot get any lower. Enough," he posted on X.

7. Megastar Chiranjeevi criticised Minister Surekha, saying he was "pained to see the disgraceful remarks" and urged "politicians in honourable positions" to set better examples. He added that no one should stoop to this level for“scoring political points by dragging unconnected people.”

"I am extremely pained to see the disgraceful remarks made by an honourable woman minister. It is a shame that celebs and members of film fraternity become soft targets as they provide instant reach and attention. We as Film Industry stand united in opposing such vicious verbal assaults on our members. No one should stoop to this level for scoring political points by dragging unconnected people and more so women into their political slug fest and make distasteful fictional allegations," Chiranjeevi said.

8. Actor Jr NTR lashed out at Minister Surekha said "dragging personal lives into politics is a new low." The actor said, "Konda Surekha garu, dragging personal lives into politics is a new low. Public figures, especially those in responsible positions like you, 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 normalise such reckless behaviour in democratic India," his post further read.

9. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also condemned Konda Surekha's remarks and posted on X, "The statements by a minister in the Telangana government, slandering the character of leading film personalities, are appalling and signify the anti-woman mindset of the Congress. It also shows how this party views the entertainment industry, which is a source of pride for India."

He added, "There is no place for such discourse in our society. The silence of Mr. Rahul Gandhi and the top Congress leadership suggests they endorse these remarks."

10. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader N Ramchander Rao termed Telangana Minister Konda Surekha's remarks as "character assassination." Ramchander Rao told ANI, "Politics should not go beyond the limits. The language limit is very important. The language used by the minister is defamatory material. It is a character assassination."

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