T'gana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar expresses regret over alleged remarks against cabinet colleague

Hyderabad, Oct 8 (PTI) The 'caste' row in Telangana has been resolved after state BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar formally apologised to his cabinet colleague Adluri Laxman Kumar on Wednesday.

The controversy, which began with Prabhakar's alleged derogatory remark and acquired a casteist dimension, was diffused following a meeting mediated by State Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud.

After the meeting between the two ministers, Prabhakar said welfare of the Congress was paramount for him and Laxman Kumar and that neither harboured any ill intentions.

"Though I did not make remarks the way it was twisted, I apologise since he (Laxman Kumar) felt bad. I urge that there should not be any misconceptions," Prabhakar told reporters.

Laxman Kumar appealed to the public, including the 'Madiga' community, to end the row, emphasising his respect for the BC leader and colleague from Karimnagar district, Ponnam Prabhakar.

State Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud formally closed the matter, terming the conflict a settled Congress family issue now that Prabhakar has expressed regret over his remarks.

Minister Prabhakar found himself in a controversy on Tuesday after Laxman Kumar demanded an apology over a remark allegedly made against him by the former.

The row erupted after a purported video of Prabhakar's alleged remark at a meeting here few days ago went viral.

The issue took a casteist angle with some Dalit MLAs of Congress meeting Mahesh Kumar Goud on Tuesday in solidarity with Laxman Kumar, who also belongs to the SC community.

Laxman Kumar, Minister for SC Development, Tribal and Minorities Welfare, said in a video shared with media on Tuesday that Prabhakar should acknowledge his mistake and tender an apology.

He warned that Prabhakar would be "responsible for the consequences if there is no change in his stance" in a day and added the he has sent letters on the matter to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC in-charge of party affairs in Telangana Meenakshi Natarajan.

Laxman Kumar also said he would meet senior leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. PTI SJR SJR ROH