Minister for Tourism and Culture R.K. Roja turned emotional and broke down at a press conference here on Tuesday, while condemning the ‘derogatory remarks’ allegedly made against her by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Bandaru Satyanarayana.
Alleging that the TDP was resorting to ‘character assassination’ after her exit from the party, she wondered if they would accept such lewd comments on their family members.
Speaking to the media, Ms. Roja said she was particularly unhappy at the manner in which TDP leaders had openly backed Mr. Satyanarayana’s statement instead of condemning the same. “Senior leaders Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu openly supported Mr. Satyanarayana’s cheap comment, while Nara Lokesh made a post on X (formerly Twitter) condemning his arrest. Is this the way the TDP treats women?” she wondered.
Referring to the cheap remarks often made on film personalities, she reminded the TDP that their party founder N.T. Rama Rao also hailed from the world of cinema and asked them to “mind their words”.
“The TDP lowered the bar of decency with such below-the-belt comments,” the Minister said, adding that she would file a defamation suit against all those who had made objectionable comments and used unparliamentary words against her.
