Tue Oct 07 12:26:17 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text, formatted as requested.
**Hyderabad, India – October 7, 2025**

**Telangana Minister’s Alleged Casteist Slur Sparks Political Firestorm**

A political controversy has erupted in Telangana following accusations that Backward Classes (BC) Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar made a derogatory remark about Scheduled Caste (SC) Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar. The alleged incident occurred during a byelection campaign event in Jubilee Hills on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

The controversy stems from a video circulating on social media, where Minister Prabhakar is allegedly overheard referring to a colleague, presumed to be Minister Laxman Kumar, as a “buffalo” while discussing punctuality. Though the remark was made privately to another minister, G. Vivek, the audio was captured by news channels preparing to broadcast a press conference.

Minister Laxman Kumar responded with outrage, releasing a video expressing his anguish and demanding a public apology. “As Laxman Kumar, he can abuse me, but abusing my caste is not correct,” he stated, identifying himself as a member of the Madiga caste. He threatened to escalate the issue to the Congress party high command.

Minister Prabhakar has vehemently denied the allegations, claiming the video was manipulated and his comments were taken out of context. He insisted his remarks were about punctuality and not directed at any individual or caste. He accused the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of attempting to sow discord within the Congress party.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy intervened, holding a meeting with both ministers to de-escalate the situation. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud also spoke with the leaders, urging restraint. The TPCC has announced that the matter has been resolved.

The controversy, involving two influential leaders from the Karimnagar district, comes at a sensitive time for the Congress party, as they prepare for the Jubilee Hills by-poll and upcoming rural local body elections.

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