The Telangana Cabinet saw internal unrest as Backward Classes (BC) Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar allegedly referred to his Scheduled Caste (SC) Welfare colleague Adluri Laxman as a "buffalo" who "has no value for life".
The alleged derogatory remark, made during a campaign event for the Jubilee Hills by-poll, has triggered an intense internal conflict that quickly escalated into a caste-based row. The comment, which Prabhakar reportedly made while his microphone was live after Laxman arrived late to the election event, was captured and circulated widely on social media.
Laxman, who is from the Madiga community, broke his silence with a strong six-minute video statement, expressing deep hurt and demanding a formal apology from Prabhakar. He said the comment was a targeted insult against his marginalised community. "As Laxman Kumar, he can abuse me, but abusing my caste is not correct," the minister stated, questioning how a cabinet colleague could publicly denigrate a fellow minister from a marginalised section.
Incidentally, the video shows Prabhakar passing the comment while talking to another SC leader Vivek Venkataswamy. "We know about time, we know about life. What does that buffalo fellow know?" he had remarked.
Laxman asserted that he would hold Prabhakar responsible for any "consequences" if the apology was not forthcoming and indicated that he, along with representatives from his caste, would escalate the matter by filing a complaint with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership, including Mallikarjun Kharge.
In response to the mounting pressure, Prabhakar denied directing any derogatory comments at Laxman. He claimed his words were deliberately twisted and distorted by opposition parties. Prabhakar maintained that his comments were actually made to his own staff regarding delays in confirming his flight tickets, and not about Laxman's late arrival.
Acknowledging the damaging nature of the public spat, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Mahesh Kumar Goud intervened and urged cooperation and coordination between the two ministers.
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