Nellore:
It isn't just Congress party leaders who're being forced to take sides in the tug-of-war between Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chief Minister K Rosaiah. Now, movie stars are serving as missiles between the two camps.
So, after a series of party members criticised the Chief Minister, actor Chiranjeevi seemed to target Jagan Mohan at a rally in Nellore. "Earning thousands of crores in few years is not possible even for Reliance but possible for political heirs," said the actor whose Praja Rajyam party completes two years later this month. Within hours, however, he retracted, stating, "I am not pointing to any one person."
Jaganmohan Reddy's father, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was Chief Minister when he died in a helicopter crash in September last year. The Congress chose to appoint then Finance Minister K Rosaiah as his successor. Since then, YSR Junior has taunted the party's central leadership by showing off the support he enjoys within the Congress and among voters. Earlier this year, he conducted a tour that the party requested him to skip. The thousands of people who greeted him seemed to prove his point that he is a force to reckon within Andhra Padesh.
Lending his weight to that claim is popular Telugu star, Rajasekhar, whose rivalry with Chiranjeevi is the worst-kept secret in the Telugu film industry. "He (Chiranjeevi) wants Congress to remove Jagan from the party and he wants to take his place. That is what he is trying," said Rajasekhar.
Chiranjeevi's PRP has 18 MLAs. And he has publicly offered their support to the Rosaiah government, should it be required. The compliment was returned swiftly by Roasiah, who thanked Chiranjeevi for being a hero in real-life. Whether or not this is a carefully scripted drama, the plot does seem to thicken.