'Women Used As Clickbait': IAS Officer Hits Out at Telangana Minister For Samantha-Naga Divorce Remark

Telangana Minister Konda Surekha has been facing people’s ire after her remarks, now withdrawn, on the divorce of actors Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya. IAS officer Smita Sabharwal on Thursday hit out at the minister saying she was shocked at Surekha’s statement.

“Women across the spectrum .. are used as click baits .. thumbnails for sensationalism, to grab eyeballs. Even officers are not spared! I speak from personal experience, where the higher one rises on the basis of hardwork the bigger is the attempt to slander! Let us respect women, families, social norms,” Sabharwal posted on X (previously Twitter).

“Was shocked to see the not so honourable statement by Konda Surekha, a sitting Minister. Everything cannot be for politics. Let us build a healthy discourse in public life,” she added.

Sabharwal received support from people on social media, who lauded her for her courage and “not mincing words” while calling out a minister for doing the wrong thing.

“Said the right thing, without mincing words and without fear of the consequences. Hats off,” said a user. “Good job Smita Sabharwal garu for voicing out your opinion against the shameless minister’s derogatory comments on cine actresses,” another wrote.

Telangana Minister Takes Back Her Statement

In the line of fire, Surekha, on Thursday, called her statement a “slip of tongue” and took it back. ““I have no personal agenda against anyone. I made an off-the-cuff remark. It was a slip of the tongue. I am disheartened to see the sharp reactions to my statement. I am taking back my words regarding what I said about the film industry.”

“However I won’t take back my comments on KTR. He should instead apologise. I will also respond to the defamation notice in a legal way.”

What Surekha Had Said

Konda Surekha had earlier claimed that BRS leader KT Rama Rao demanded that Samantha be sent to him in exchange for sparing Nagarjuna Akkineni’s N-Convention Centre from demolition. According to Surekha, when Samantha refused, it led to her separation from Naga Chaitanya. “KTR asked to send Samantha in return for not demolishing the N-convention centre. Nagarjuna forced Samantha to go to KTR, but she said no. That led to divorce,” Surekha was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.

The N-Convention Centre, owned by Nagarjuna, was partially demolished on August 24, 2024, by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA) for encroaching on lake buffer zones. Nagarjuna had obtained a stay order from the High Court later and issued an official statement on his social media account.

Speaking to the media, Surekha had also claimed, “It is KT Rama Rao because of whom 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.”