A Telangana minister stoked controversy on Wednesday after she alleged that Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K.T. Rama Rao was the reason behind the divorce between actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
State forest minister Konda Surekha also raised a flurry of allegations against KTR, son of former chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, linking him with drugs and blackmail.
Naga Chaitaya and Samantha were married for four years before they parted ways in 2021. He is now reportedly engaged to Sobhita Dhulipala.
Surekha alleged KTR’s actions forced many heroines to quit their career in film and marry early. The minister also raised doubts that the BRS leader might be behind the malicious campaign against her on social media.
The Congress leader’s remarks have stirred up a storm with Naga Chaitanya’s father, actor Nagarjuna Akkineni, urging her to withdraw them immediately.
"I strongly condemn honorable minister Mrs Konda Surekha’s remarks. You shouldn’t use the lives of film stars, who stay away from politics, to target your opponents. Please respect other people's privacy," Akkineni said in a post on X in Telugu.
"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," he added.