Mumbai: Samantha Ruth Prabhu reacted to Telangana Minister Konda Surekha's remark linking Bharat Rashtra Samiti chief KT Rama Rao to the separation of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha, and said that her divorce was a "personal matter."
Samantha took to her Instagram story to issue a statement on Wednesday evening. She clarified that her divorce was "mutual consent and amicable" and there was no political conspiracy involved. Samantha also requested people to stop speculating about her divorce.
"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 & to fall out of love, to still stand up and fight... It takes a lot of courage and strength," the statement read.
"My divorce is a personal matter, and I request that you refrain from speculating about it. Our choice to keep things private doesn't invite misrepresentation. To clarify: my divorce was mutual consent and amicable, with no political conspiracy involved. Could you please keep my name out of political battles? I have always remained non-political and wish to continue doing so," Samantha added.
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This came after Congress leader, K Surekha linked KTR to the separation of Samantha and Naga Chaitanya, and alleged that KTR used to tap the phones of the actresses and blackmail them.
Speaking to the media, Surekha said, "It is KT Rama Rao because of whom (actress) Samantha's divorce happened...He was a minister at that time and used to tap the phones of the actresses and then find their weaknesses to blackmail them...He used to make them drug addicts and then do this...Everyone knows this, Samantha, Naga Chaitanya, his family, everybody is aware that such a thing happened."
Surekha's remarks sparked massive controversy, with several BRS leaders as well as superstar Nagarjuna Akkineni condemning the remarks.
Nagarjuna said that Surekha should not use the lives of movie stars to criticise her opponents, and urged her to respect the privacy of others.
"I strongly condemn the comments of the Minister, Konda Surekha. Don't use the lives of movie stars who stay away from politics to criticize your opponents. Please respect other people's privacy. 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," Nagarjuna said in a post on X.
Nagarjuna's son, Naga Chaitanya, was previously married to actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu. They announced their separation on social media in a joint statement in October 2021.
They urged fans and media for privacy and support during these difficult times. Samantha and Chaitanya maintained that they will always 'hold a special bond' between them.
Meanwhile, BRS leader Harish Rao also took to X and demanded an apology from the minister.
"I condemn the derogatory statements made by Minister Konda Surekha Garu and demand an unconditional apology," Rao said.
BRS MLC and former Minister Satyavathi Rathod condemned the comments of Minister Konda Surekha on KTR.
She said, "We condemn the comments of Minister Konda Surekha on KTR. Sadly, she talks in a way that affects and saddens the families of all the actresses in the cinema industry. This is not right. We warn that they should let go of the habit of defaming others when their graph falls. We will file a defamation case on this. Being a women minister, they should support and stand with women instead of making this kind of comment."
—ANI