Hyderabad: State BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar’s derogatory comments against SC & ST Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar snowballed into a big political issue. Serious on Ponnam’s comments,
Laxman demanded an apology from his Cabinet colleague and also warned that he would lodge a complaint with the party high command and seek action against him. While Ponnam said his comments were distorted, Telangana Congress’ chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud and IT Minister D Sridhar Babu plunged into action for damage control ahead of the local body elections and Jubilee Hills bypoll in Hyderabad.
At a meeting in the byelection-bound Jubilee Hills, the BC Welfare Minister reportedly insulted Laxman by calling him a ‘buffalo’ while conversing with another Minister Vivek Venkatswamy on the delay of SC & ST Welfare Minister’s arrival.
Laxman reacted strongly, expressing his disapproval of Ponnam Prabhakar’s remarks and demanding an unconditional apology within 24 hours. He warned, “If Ponnam Prabhakar fails to apologise, he will bear the consequences in the state”.
“I leave it to Ponnam Prabhakar’s wisdom to make such remarks. It would be prudent for him to publicly apologise before this matter escalates into a significant controversy,” Laxman stated in a video. The Minister also expressed discontent with Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy for “ignoring the issue” and maintaining silence.
Laxman recalled their family’s long-standing loyalty to the Congress in the Peddapalli Parliamentary constituency since the era of Vivek’s father, Venkata Swamy.
Sources within the Congress indicated that Laxman also discussed this matter with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who, with elections approaching, reportedly advised him to remain calm. However, Laxman stated, “I will be meeting with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leaders such as Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to discuss the matter. While I can endure personal insults, I will not accept any disrespect towards my community.” Meanwhile, members of the SC-Madiga community reacted strongly to Ponnam Prabhakar’s comments and are calling for a public apology to Minister Laxman Kumar.
