Minister Konda Surekha apologizes to Samantha Ruth Prabhu after divorce remarks with her ex-husband Naga Chaitanya

Telangana Minister Konda Surekha has issued an apology to actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu following backlash over her controversial comments linking Samantha's divorce from Naga Chaitanya to BRS leader KT Rama Rao. The remarks sparked outrage on social media, prompting strong reactions from various celebrities and fans.

In her apology posted on X (formerly Twitter), Konda Surekha clarified that her comments were intended to address a leader's disrespect towards women and were not meant to hurt the 'Khushi' actress's feelings.

She wrote in Telugu which loosely translates to, "My comments are meant to question a leader's belittling of women and not to hurt your @Samanthaprabhu2 sentiments. The way you have grown up with self-power is not only an admiration for me.. but also an ideal.."

The minister further stated that if her remarks offended Samantha or her fans, she unconditionally retracted them, as she stated "If you or your fans are offended by my comments, I unconditionally retract my comments..Don't think otherwise."

Samantha had previously responded to Konda Surekha’s comments, where she stated her divorce is a personal matter and requested to refrain from such speculations.

In a powerful statement, she spoke of the challenges of being a woman in the film industry. She also wrote, "To clarify: my divorce was mutual consent and amicable, with no political conspiracy involved. 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 and to fall out of love, to still stand up and fight…It takes a lot of courage and strength."

The members of the Akkineni family including Naga Chaitanya and Nagarjuna have condemned the minister’s remarks, describing them as baseless and unacceptable.