BJP leader Anurag Thakur has come out in strong support of Telugu actor Allu Arjun, who has been embroiled in controversy after the tragic stampede at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad.
The incident occurred on December 4 during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule, when a massive crowd gathered to see the actor. The situation escalated when Allu Arjun waved to fans from the sunroof of his car, leading to a stampede that resulted in the death of a woman named Revathi and injuries to her child.
Thakur, along with other BJP leaders, criticized the allegations made by certain Telangana Congress leaders who have targeted Allu Arjun for his actions during the event. These leaders have questioned the actor’s response to the tragic accident, with some even accusing him of being responsible for the chaos that led to the loss of life.
Addressing the media in Hyderabad, Thakur condemned the remarks from Telangana Congress leaders, especially Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, over the Sandhya Theatre incident.
He urged the Congress party to rein in its members, stressing that such statements could tarnish the reputation of the South Indian film industry, particularly Telugu cinema.
In an interview with ANI, he said, “If you look at the contribution of Telugu actors in the film industry, they have put the film and Indian cinema on the global map… If you look at the last few years, Allu Arjun got the National Award in Narendra Modi’s government, Chiranjeevi got the Lifetime Achievement Award and their contribution has been appreciated by the whole country and the world. On the other hand, look at the films, whether it is RR, Pushpa, KGF, Baahubali all of them have brought fame to Indian cinema.”
I think instead of creating controversy, efforts should be made to have a dialogue, take care of safety and not do politics…” he added.
#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: BJP MP Anurag Thakur says, “If you look at the contribution of Telugu actors in the film industry, they have put the film and Indian cinema on the global map… If you look at the last few years, Allu Arjun got the National Award in Narendra Modi’s… pic.twitter.com/nYzbhUFDHr
— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2024
Allegations of Political Targeting
BJP leader Amit Malviya also accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s Congress government of targeting Tollywood. According to Malviya, the CM’s actions against the film industry were linked to the refusal of Tollywood superstars, including Allu Arjun, to comply with Reddy’s attempts to exert control and extract money from them.
The BJP leaders suggested that these moves were politically motivated, as the CM sought to leverage his position to gain financial favor from the film industry.
Allu Arjun’s Legal Battle
Following the incident, Allu Arjun was arrested on December 13 in connection with the case. However, he was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court. On December 19, the actor was summoned for questioning by the police, as part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic event.