Min Surekha livid at BRS social media posts, demands apology

Hyderabad: Offended by social media posts targeting her by alleged BRS handles following an event where she was garlanded by Medak MP Raghunandan Rao, Minister Konda Surekha sought apologies from BRS leadership. The Pradesh Congress Committee also took serious note of how the pink party engaged against its woman minister and warned of potential consequences.

In protest, some Congress leaders attempted to storm Telangana Bhavan and tried to burn an effigy in front of the BRS state office. Verbal clashes ensued between Congress and BRS leaders as they attempted to enter the premises, but the situation was later pacified, and Congress leaders were sent back.

Konda Surekha expressed that she was traumatized and disturbed by the social media ‘trolling’ following an event in Dubbaka attended by Medak MP and BJP leader Raghunandan Rao. An image of the MP garlanding her with cotton threads in tricolor, made by local weavers, was shared online with an ‘offensive’ message. During a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, she blamed BRS working president KT Rama Rao for the trolling, feeling targeted because she is a woman and noting the BRS's history of not including women in their cabinet. She demanded explanations from KTR and former Minister T. Harish Rao, asking if KTR would expect the same to happen to his sister and MLC Kavitha.

Later in the day, PCC president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud strongly condemned the social media posts, stating that the Padmashali community felt offended and demanding apologies from BRS leadership. He emphasized that he would have asked for apologies had he been in KTR’s position and noted that the Congress party had only been critical during Kavitha’s case without crossing any limits. Meanwhile, Women and Child Welfare Minister Seethakka came to Surekha's defence, referencing KTR's comments about women using free bus services and asserting that this reflects the mindset of BRS leaders. She recalled how photos of her and Minister Ponnam Prabhakar were morphed to suit their agenda.