The Deputy Chief Minister firmly sided with Revanth Reddy, calling him a strong leader, and emphasised that he was above being disturbed by an actor's failure to mention his name at a movie's pre-release function
Published Dec 30, 2024 | 6:12 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 30, 2024 | 6:12 PM
Pawan Kalyan joins Sandhya stampede debate, faults Allu Arjun and supports Revanth Reddy
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and film actor Pawan Kalyan on Monday, 30 December, joined the issue between Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and actor Allu Arjun over the death of a woman in a stampede at a theatre in Hyderabad.
Without leaving any ambiguity, the deputy chief minister preferred to remain on the side of Revanth Reddy, calling him a very strong leader and that he was above one who could be easily rattled by an actor not mentioning his name in the pre-release function of his movie.
The deputy chief minister, in an informal interaction with media persons at the party office in Mangalagiri in Guntur district, appeared to have toed Revanth Reddy’s line when he said Allu Arjun should have visited the family and reassured them that he was with them, immediately after the incident.
“An element of human touch is missing. Had he done it, it would not have become such a major controversy. He could have easily avoided it. But he allowed it to become intractable finally, ” he said.
Defending Revanth Reddy’s stand on the issue, Pawan Kalyan said that at least Allu Arjun’s team should have visited them and expressed their condolences.
“Revanth Reddy had acted on the right lines. One has to act that way only. Even if Revanth Reddy was in Allu Arjun’s position, he too would have been arrested,” Pawan Kalyan said. He pointed out that the argument that arrest of Allu Arjun was not proper, was very much flawed.
He said that the law of the land does not recognise anyone as near or dear and would be equal to all. “One should keep this in mind,” he said.
He also appreciated Revanth Reddy’s gesture in allowing an increase in the price of the tickets for Pushpa 2: The Rule, as a measure to promote and encourage the film industry.
It is common knowledge that there is a cold war brewing between Pawan Kalyan and Allu Arjun for quite some time now. In one instance, Pawan Kalyan had made snide remarks against Allu Arjun for his role in Pushpa, The rise, as a red-sanders smuggler. He had said that a hero should curb smuggling and not glorify it, during an official visit to Karnataka recently.
Over a period of time, the face-off between the Chiranjeevi Family and Allu family became more pronounced. It took a political turn when Allu Arjun campaigned for YSRCP candidate Silpa Ravichandra Kishore Reddy who contested for Nandyal Assembly seat in the recent elections, at a time when the entire mega family was campaigning for Pawan Kalyan in Pithapuram. Pawan Kalyan won the election to Assembly from there.
Allu Arjun has been seen as aligned with the YSRCP, which is politically opposed to Jana Sena, led by Pawan Kalyan. Consequently, the fans of both actors are often at odds, influenced by their idols’ affiliations.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
