KTR gets candid with Tanmay Bhat on podcast, says he is game to be ‘roasted’

Hyderabad: Talking on a podcast with comedian-vlogger Tanmay Bhat, IT minister KT Rama Rao said it was important to be grounded and real to survive in the game of politics and to actually perform.

In response to Tanmay’s question on how many people the Minister speaks to would be honest with him, KTR said he was aware of the perils that come with his position.

“There are a lot of sycophants around politicians in India. It comes with the territory and you can’t take it seriously. In my case, I try and ensure that I get unadulterated feedback from social media. That is what tells me as to what the man on the ground is thinking,” he said.

Adding that social media was a double-edged sword, the Minister said he believed that people who wanted him to do good work would give him honest feedback.

Stating that he was a big fan of the annual ‘White House Correspondents’ Association’ at the White House in the United States, where politicians, including the President of the United States, were made fun of, KTR said he was ready to be ‘roasted’ by the comedian, just like he did Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor in 2015,

“I love the White House roast. I love the way Presidents get roasted there. I am game if one of these days you want to roast me,” he said.

Tanmay interviewed KTR on the sidelines of the opening of the State government’s prestigious T-Hub 2.0 project on June 28 in Hyderabad. The Minister spoke candidly about everything, right from his favourite biryani to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, night life in Hyderabad, his relationship with his father— Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, and his family.