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Def Min's hubby quits as AP govt's comms adviser

Last Updated 27 June 2019, 11:20 IST

Stung by Opposition YSR Congress Party’s “slanderous campaign” against him, Parakala Prabhakar, husband of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman resigned from the post of communication adviser of the Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday.

The Opposition has been targeting Prabhakar ever since the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) severed ties with the BJP and walked out of the NDA over denial of Special Category Status (SCS) to the state. In his letter to Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Prabhakar explained that a few Opposition leaders were pointing fingers at him and questioning why he was still being tolerated by Naidu while the chief minister was claiming to have confronted the BJP over the issue of SCS.

“You (CM) continued to repose faith in me, despite a sustained campaign by the Opposition. The YSR Congress leaders, including its president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, have questioned my continuance in the Chief Minister’s Office even after the TDP parted ways with BJP,” he wrote. He said his exit would restore faith in the chief minister while the Opposition parties were trying to cast doubts on the struggle Naidu was leading against the Union Government.

Undermining Naidu

“They are using my continuance in the government to mock your commitment towards the state. Even a responsible Opposition leader like Jagan Mohan Reddy has raised the same issue and undermined your struggle and commitment. That hurt me a lot," Prabhakar wrote.

“Claims are being made that because my family member belongs to another party, and has different political views, I might compromise with the state’s interests. These rumours have been manufactured by some people, which has deeply hurt me. I would not want that to tarnish the image of the government or the agitation,” he said.

"My wish is that there should not be a black mark on your commitment and I do not want you or your government to be dishonoured," Prabhakar said in his letter. Prabhakar is an alumnus of JNU and London School of Economics (LSE) and a well known political commentator. He has been the communication adviser to the government since the formation of the state.

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(Published 19 June 2018, 16:14 IST)

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