After Samantha Ruth Prabhu-Naga Chaitanya's Reaction, Konda Surekha Withdraws Divorce Remarks: 'My Intention Was...'

Congress leader Konda Surekha claimed that KTR was involved in Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya's divorce.

Telangana Minister Konda Surekha has withdrawn her controversial comments linking BRS leader KT Rama Rao (KTR) to actors Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya’s divorce. Her remarks received flak from both the politicians and celebrities.

Konda Surekha retracts her statement on Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya's divorce

Surekha took to X (formerly Twitter), retracting her statement about Samantha. “My intention was only to point out how a leader is belittling towards woman but not to hurt your sentiments, Samantha. The way you have grown exponentially by yourself is something I admire and aspire to. If you or your fans have been hurt by my words, I unconditionally retract them. Please do not take it otherwise,” she wrote in Telugu. 

This statement came after Congress leader Konda Surekha claimed that KTR was involved in Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya's separation, alleging that he engaged in phone tapping and blackmailing female actors.

Konda Surekha's comment on Samantha-Naga's divorce

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 caused a major stir, leading to backlash from both actors and their family members. 

Samantha's reaction to divorce comments

Samantha's response to Konda Surekha's comments delivered a powerful message to the Telangana minister. "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.

Naga Chaitanya slams Konda Surekha

Chaitanya showed his support for his ex-wife through an Instagram post, but he refrained from mentioning her name directly.

“The decision of divorce is easily one of the most painful and unfortunate life decisions one has to make. After a lot of thought, a mutual decision was made by me and my former spouse to part ways. It was a decision made in peace, owing to our different life goals and in the interest of moving forward with respect and dignity as two mature adults. However, there have been various baseless and completely ridiculous gossips on the matter so far. I have remained silent all this while out of deep respect for my earlier spouse as well as my family,” he wrote.

“Today, the claim made by Minister Konda surekha garu is not only false, it is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. Women deserve to be supported and respected. Taking advantage and exploiting the personal life decisions of celebrities for the sake of media headlines is shameful,” he added.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya left fans stunned when they announced their separation in 2021. After their split, Naga Chaitanya got engaged to Sobhita Dhulipala in August and is expected to marry soon.