A charismatic Tollywood star, winner of the Padma Bhushan award and holder of an honorary doctorate in philosophy, actor-turned politician Chiranjeevi had all the makings of a vote-swinger as he entered the political arena with the launch of Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) in August this year.
Yet, like the Congress-I, he is playing the “wait & watch” game, watching the political landscape of Telangana and waiting for the right moment to strike. In the meantime, he is mustering the support of the people across the socio-economic spectrum of the region by harping on the theme of social justice and underlining his commitment to “Santosha Andhra Pradesh” (“Happy Andhra Pradesh”).
These slogans raise question marks over the ultimate goal of the PRP. Is it for or against a separate Telangana? By refusing to commit himself one way or the other and, at the same time, aspiring for ‘ Santosha Andhra Pradesh,’
Chiranjeevi appears like a twinkling star making us wonder what you are.
He is, however, leaving nothing to chance as he straddles the political stage with all the panache of a seasoned leader. Thus, at one of the several padayatras that he undertook recently, the actor-turned politician kept newsmen guessing on his party’s stand on the Telangana issue.
At the road shows, too, Chirnajeevi did not chant Jai Telangana even when he was prompted to do so, while he called on his opponents to clarify their stand on the issue. This raises a question over PRP’s depth of commitment to the call for a separate Telangana. The Doubting Thomases also refer to the way he dodges questions on the issue.
The mega star believes that he has outsmarted his political opponents by announcing at his Jagitial road show that PRP would not pose any problem if the Centre granted statehood for Telangana. “In fact, the political parties have little role to play in this regard and it is for the Centre to announce the formation of separate Telangana,” he observed.
While remaining noncommittal on the Telangana issue, Chiranjeevi has sought to firm up his party’s base by speaking for “social justice” at public meetings.He said the need of the hour was “Telangana Samajika Nyayam”(Telangana with social justice) and not mere Telangana as a geo-political entity. Through such a rhetoric he is sending across a message to the vulnerable sections of society that the Telangana movement was being hijacked by some elements of the upper caste for their own vested interests.
In this context, a question is being asked: how seriously do the people of Telangana think that Chiranjeevi is wedded to their cause? The speculation is that things would sort out during the run-up to the elections due in April next year. The PRP leader would then be obliged to take a stand if he wants to gain political mileage out of the spade work that he has already done.
This includes the setting up of the Chiranjeevi Blood Bank in Jubilee Hills, which has raised his profile among the people. What boosted its popularity was that frequent donors had an opportunity to take a personal photograph with their hero. Critics point out that the blood bank has become more of a meeting point for PRP’s party workers and also for those who came from villages and towns with recommendations to get tickets for the forthcoming elections. As a result, the blood bank became overcrowded with fans and political supporters. This has created bad blood between the blood bank and the donors, causing the numbers to shrink.
Nevertheless, Chiru still remains hugely popular. As his party stalwart Naga Babu put it: “We will prove all other political pundits wrong by coming to power. PRP will win with complete majority in the next assembly elections.”
Chiranjeevi replaced NTR as the Telugu film industry’s reigning superstar, and changed it forever. Now that he has entered politics, he might become a political icon as well.
The Telugu Desam Party, which NTR founded in 1982 and with which he swept to power, has now announced support for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh which is, by the standards of political discussion of this sensitive subject, quite unambiguous. The TDP is obviously worried about the possibility that Chiranjeevi will cut into its base in coastal Andhra, while the communists, traditional allies of the TDP before Naidu allied with the NDA, have forged closer ties with the TRS recently. No wonder, TDP has jumped on the Telangana bandwagon as part of its defensive tactic.
The TDP was founded as the party that reflects Telugu pride. Its policies were populist to the core, but, by and large, it appealed to the emotional instinct of the people. However, when Chandra Babu Naidu donned the mantle of TDP leadership from NTR, Naidu replaced the party’s emotional beat with a reformist agenda. This is where Chiranjeevi outsmarted TDP by loading emotional content into his message and pulling the rug from under TDP.
Thus Chiranjeevi has become a force to reckon with in the political equations of Telangana politics. But whether he will win the incoming election on the strength of his own agenda is the key question. During the last Assembly and parliamentary elections, for instance, TRS had contested on a single point agenda—bringing statehood to the region. Most other political party leaders of the region had rubbished the idea at the time (except the Congress) mostly due to pressure from the party hierarchy which was sceptical of the whole idea. Congress eventually tied up with TRS promising the people a new state of Telangana. The rest, as they say, is history.
Chiranjeevi has so far avoided these political somersaults by keeping them guessing on his next move. Maybe, he wants to shine in his own light as a superstar and also on the strength of his own achievements that won him the honorific title of Padma Bhushan, the second highest Presidential Award in 2006. This led to an unprecedented international walkathon event in his honour organised by Pravasa Vaaradhis and the screening of a short film "Chiranjeevi: For Change!," which included his first ever campaign song.
The movie, an indigenous NRI production, featured the "Chiru Song 2008" composed, written and sung by prominent NRI Music Director SaiBorg, the son of a well-known folk singer. Whether Chiranjeevi will do an Obama in Telangana remains to be seen.
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