Chiranjeevi apologises to Rajasekhar and his family

Hyderabad: Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi apologised to actor Rajasekhar and his family members after his fans attacked them on Monday.
Chiranjeevi went to Rajasekhar's house and met him and his family members, hours after they were attacked by fans in the heart of the city to protest some remarks made by Rajasekhar.
Strongly condemning the attack, the superstar tendered an apology before media persons. "You are my brother. Please forgive me," Chiranjeevi said holding Rajasekhar's hand.
"It is very unfortunate. In a democracy, one has every right to express his opinion and one can react but not in a violent way," he said.
Rajasekhar’s car was attacked in Panjagutta in the heart of the city when he was going home from the railway station.
The actor, his wife Jeevita and their two teenaged daughters received minor injuries and the windowpane of the car was smashed during the assault.
Rajasekhar had said on Sunday that he would not join the political party to be floated by Chiranjeevi, as the latter had no political experience.
"I am feeling very sad that Rajasekhar, Jeevita and their daughters were attacked. They (fans) have acted like rowdies. They should keep in mind that I also go out with my children," Chiranjeevi said.
"Rajasekhar expressed his personal views. My fans might have felt hurt over what he said but they should not have resorted to physical attack," said Chiranjeevi.
"My fans have not acted at my behest. This is not in my nature," added Chiranjeevi in an obvious reference to the allegation by Rajasekhar and his wife that he was behind the attack.
Panjagutta police registered a case on a complaint by Jeevita, a former actress. She alleged that four cars chased them and attacked their vehicle.
"They threw stones and chased us. They wanted to kill us. Anything could have happened," said Jeevita.
Following the incident, the police stepped up security at Rajasekhar's house. The actor appealed to Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to provide security to him and his family members.
Angered by Rajasekhar's comments, Chiranjeevi's fans also staged demonstrations against the former in other parts of the state. Protests were also held at Guntur and Vijayawada as the fans demanded an apology.
Popular actor and former MP Mohan Babu and other film personalities also condemned the attack on Rajasekhar.

It is unfortunate that Chiranjeevi should have had to start his political career with an apology. Maybe he should have first schooled his fans about his political ambitions and sought to instill discipline in them. It is obvious that he did not seek to organize and educate his ready-made base of fan clubs before aspiring to contribute to the state politically.