Monday, December 10, 2007

Chirajeevi to enter politics?

Chiranjeevi is undoubtedly the most popular actor amongst the contemporary Telugu movie stars. Of late, there have been lot of speculative stories doing rounds about his possible entry into politics. What are his qualifications to be a political leader?

  • He has the charisma, the mass following and the necessary social status.. a.k.a caste to take a plunge into politics.
  • More importantly, he has that political appetite. He is clever in managing behind the scene political menouvres in Tollywood. (That the Telugu Movie industry is a big political playground is another interesting story, which will be discussed on these pages in future.)
  • He has also become popular through his social service activities like running a Blood bank. Of course, when compared with the mega mass appeal that he has, his social service can be considered minuscule. But undoubtedly, the blood bank brought him more humane touch to his already public face.

Last week, specualtion ruled the pages and waves in the Telugu Media about his possible plunge into politics. Media constructed stories, conducted surveys and published the reports - all positive for his political arangetram. The news is so intense that people thought it is either today or tomorrow. After three days of speculation, Chiru came out with a statement which is neither a 'yes' nor a 'no' to the grand opening. He has effectively postponed the decision for some more time.

But why this delay in decision making? There are many concerns..
  • caste calculations. This is very significant, owing to the caste based churning that is currently taking place in AP politics
  • Telangana movement.
  • Money
  • Fear of failure. Though a hard-core Chiranjeevi fan may not buy this argument, it is one factor, he cannot afford to ignore. Any failure to capture power, will spell doom to his political career. Five years of hibernation (sitting in the opp. benches) will kill him not only as a politician but also as a movie hero. So he cannot ignore this risk.
One curious observation:
If Chiranjeevi launches a political party and supports separate telangana cause, he is sure to get overwhelming support. That would be real trouble for TRS!

Another (more curious) observation:
If Chiranjeevi's party wins power in Telangana State, and loses in Andhra state, will he become the Chief Minister of Telangana?

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Thus spake Rahul...

"In the state of Mahatma Gandhi, let us remember his teachings to seek the truth. Today, the Gujarat government is in a habit of bowing to falsehood and lies. Never support falsehood," Rahul Gandhi said at an election rally in Surat, Gujarat.

What a joke! He is asking people to join him in remembering Mahatma's teachings!! Sure, he needs it badly, but not the people of Gujarat.

"Mr.Gandhi, you know.. it is difficult to recollect something which you never know, wherever you are.. in Gujarat or elsewhere!"

'..Never support falsehood'.. If Outlook pre-poll survey is any indication.., people of Gujarat are not going to support the falsehood this time again. Dont worry!