Vijayawada, July 20 Communist Party of India (CPI) national Secretary K. Narayana on Wednesday apologised to Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi for making an objectionable remark against him.
Facing the ire of Chiranjeevi's fans, Narayana told reporters here that he was apologising to the actor and his supporters.
The CPI leader said he regretted the use of inappropriate words and appealed to Chiranjeevi and his fans to forgive him by treating it as a slip of tongue.
Narayana had made the remark during a press conference at Tirupati on Tuesday. He had criticised the invitation to Chiranjeevi at the unveiling of a statue of revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju on July 4.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the statue at Bhimavaram in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Chiranjeevi had shared the dais with them.
The CPI leader said since Alluri Sitarama Raju's character was played by veteran actor Krishna, he should have been invited to the event. Referring to Chiranjeevi, he passed a personal remark, which has angered the actor's fans in both the Telugu states.
Supporters of Jana Sena, a party headed by Chiranjeevi's brother and actor Pawan Kalyan, also slammed Narayana for the remark.
Chiranjeevi's other brother and actor Naga Babu had also launched a bitter attack on the CPI leader with a tweet.
As the anger was growing over his remark, Narayana on Wednesday regretted it. He said his remark has hurt Chiranjeevi's fans and some leaders of Kapu Mahanadu. He stated that in politics, criticism and counter-criticism is common. He admitted that he went beyond the political language to say something about Chiranjeevi and urged Chiranjeevi and his fans to treat this as slip of tongue and end the matter.
Meanwhile, Naga Babu has appealed to Chiranjeevi's fans and Jana Sena supporters not to troll Narayana over social media. He said since the CPI leader has apologised, considering his age, the megastar's fans and Jana Senanis should stop trolling him.
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