Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar's alleged body-shaming remarks against his fellow Cabinet colleague SC Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar today went viral on the social media.
The incident reportedly occurred during an event in Hyderabad when Laxman arrived about ten minutes late. During his absence, Prabhakar allegedly referred to him as a buffalo while speaking with Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy.
Reacting sharply, Laxman expressed strong disapproval and demanded an unconditional apology within 24 hours.
He said, "If Ponnam Prabhakar fails to apologise within this timeframe, he will have to face the consequences. 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 major controversy."
The minister also criticised Venkatswamy for what the former described as "ignoring the issue" and choosing to remain silent.
Sources within the Congress said that Laxman had discussed the issue with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who reportedly advised him to stay calm, considering the upcoming elections.
Laxman said, "I will be meeting AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to discuss the matter. While I can endure personal insults, I will not tolerate any disrespect towards my community."
Meanwhile, members of the SC-Madiga community have strongly condemned Prabhakar's remarks and are demanding a public apology to Adluri Laxman.