Chiranjeevi dodges the bullet again on support to Pawan Kalyan

HYDERABAD: If there was one thing that Megastar Chiranjeevi was perceived to be dodging in the last few years, it was the issue of his support for his younger brother and Power Star Pawan Kalyan and his Jana Sena. The founder of erstwhile Praja Rajyam Party has finally opened up on the topic but, typical of his trait, stopped short of announcing his whole-hearted support to his brother and his political endeavours.

Interestingly, Chiranjeevi's comments came on the eve of the release of his most-awaited film Godfather. Slated for Dussehra release on October 5, the film is expected to be a political potboiler. Chiranjeevi, who was engrossed in the promotions for Godfather, once again played hide and seek with the media and especially the Pawan Kalyan fans, who had been yearning for long to see the mega brother throwing his weight behind the Power Star and his fledgling party Jana Sena.

Like in the past, Chiranjeevi kept beating around the bush on what he feels about his younger brother's political ambitions and his likely support for it. Referring to Pawan Kalyan's personality, Chiranjeevi said that his brother had the commitment and sincerity that was needed for a political leader. He said that the people might bestow him with an opportunity to emerge as a leader possessing these qualities. In a cryptic statement, he said that people would decide who he should side with and where he should stand in politics.

Speculation that the two charismatic brothers could be coming together gathered steam in the last few days, especially after the pre-release event of Godfather was organised in Anantapur. There were already rumours that Pawan Kalyan could be contesting from one of the Assembly constituencies in Anantapur district in the 2024 elections. And the Godfather event held at Anantapur only stoked these speculations further.

There was also this talk that Chiranjeevi would be eventually announcing his formal support to Pawan Kalyan and his Jana Senan party. But the latest statement of the former president of the erstwhile PRP came in as a big dampener for all those – needless to mention the Jana Sena rank and file – hoping to see both joining forces on a political plank.

Chiranjeevi not only disappointed many but even intrigued them with a revelation on why he was staying away from active politics. In an interesting comment, he said that he preferred to stay in the background to let his younger brother flourish on the centrestage of politics. Instead of them locking horns as political opponents, he thought it would be better for him to stay silent to let his brother emerge. Interestingly, Chiranjeevi is still a member of the Congress party technically even though he has been keeping away from political activities.

Chiranjeevi also said that it remained to be seen if people would give Pawan the mandate to rule them. He said that he hoped for one such day and that his younger brother would have all his support for his efforts towards this end. This is Chiranjeevi at his ambiguous best!