Other ministers take bribes, Me not: says Telangana minister

Telangana Forest Minister Konda Surekha has stirred a controversy after stating that while other ministers often took bribes from firms to clear files, she did not take money from corporates and instead wanted them to contribute to society. A video of her speech has gone viral on social media, with the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) demanding an investigation.

"Since I am the Forest Minister, some companies come to me to get files cleared. Usually, ministers take money to clear such files. However, I ask the companies that they need not give even a paisa, but should do social services," Surekha said.

The minister made the remarks while laying the foundation stone of a building at a government college in Warangal. The opposition saw Surekha's remarks as an admission of corruption within the government.

BRS working president and MLA KT Rama Rao pounced on the minister's remark to accuse the Congress of running a "commission sarkaar" in Telangana. "In this 30% commission government, ministers, according to their own colleague, do not sign files without taking a hefty cut," he said.

As the controversy escalated, Surekha, in a post on X, claimed her remarks were distorted, and she was speaking about ministers in the previous BRS government.

However, this is not the first time that Surekha has courted controversy. Last year, the minister stirred a row after she sought to blame KT Rama Rao for the separation of actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha. Following her claim, defamation cases were filed against her.