Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajya Sabha MP and OBC Morcha Chief K Laxman on Sunday, December 22 came in support of Allu Arjun over the controversy regarding the deadly stampede that took place in Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of Pushpa 2 The Rise on December 4.
K Laxman’s remarks came a day after chief minister Revanth Reddy and All India Majlis e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi accused the Tollywood actor of cashing in on the stampede.
The BJP leader accused CM Revanth and Akbaruddin Owaisi of using the Telangana Assembly as a platform to ‘target’ a prominent actor from the film industry.
Condoling the death of 35-year-old Revathi who lost her life in the stampede, K Laxman urged the state government and Allu Arjun fans to support Sri Tej, who remains in critical condition at KIMS Hospital.
Union minister Bandi Sanjay has also accused the Telangana CM of playing double standards. He stated that the chief minister has so far not visited any victims of the gurukul food poisoning cases or claimed responsibility for the student deaths, but has time to accuse an actor in the Assembly.
On December 21, AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi alleged that Allu Arjun callously left the theatre while the stampede was underway. He questioned the actor’s consciousness and said that upon knowing of the tragedy, he did not take any steps to enquire about the victim or her family.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, following Akbaruddin Owaisi’s comments, broke his silence saying, “The atmosphere turned into pandemonium with thousands of his (Allu Arjun) fans pushing and crushing each other to have a glimpse of the actor. The situation worsened after the actor’s bouncers pushed the public to make way for him to enter the theatre. I saw the videos where scores were hanging on the balcony, risking their lives, simply to see the actor.”
“In this confusion, Revanthi’s family were separated. While her husband and their daughter were pushed out of the hall, Revathi and her son were unfortunately stuck inside the theatre,” he added.
Police found an unconscious Revathi and her son and tried to retrieve them immediately. “Despite being dead, the mother held her child’s hand firmly. It took a while for the police to release the child from his mother’s arms. He is now in a vegetative condition, battling for his life,” CM Revanth said.
“As the actor was leaving, he waved at his fans again. What is this inhumane behaviour?” CM Revanth asked the House.
In response to CM’s remarks, Allu Arjun held a press conference stating that the stampede and subsequent death were unfortunate and claimed there had been several misunderstandings surrounding the incident
