Chiranjeevi-Balakrishna Row: Kamineni Backs Down, Requests Speaker to Delete Remarks

Days after BJP MLA Kamineni Srinivas stirred a political storm by alleging that former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had insulted members of the film industry and met them only after pressure from megastar Chiranjeevi, the legislator has now sought to withdraw his remarks.

During the Assembly proceedings on September 25, Kamineni claimed that when Jagan was in power, a delegation of film stars led by Chiranjeevi visited Tadepalli to discuss industry issues. He alleged that Jagan initially skipped the meeting and asked them to speak with the then Cinematography Minister, and only met the delegation after Chiranjeevi insisted.

However, TDP leader and Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna countered Kamineni’s claim but still accused Jagan of insulting the delegation—going so far as to call the former Chief Minister a “psycho” on the Assembly floor, a remark that drew sharp criticism.

Although he was abroad, Chiranjeevi issued a statement, denying that he put pressure on Jagan and clarified that the meeting eventually resulted in the government agreeing to raise ticket prices, benefiting the film industry.

Speaking in the Assembly on September 27, Kamineni admitted his comments had created a “misunderstanding” and urged the Speaker to expunge them.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders have questioned both the Speaker and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for failing to censure Balakrishna’s crude remarks. Notably, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Chiranjeevi’s brother and a key TDP ally, has remained silent on the controversy.