Chiranjeevi urges people to give him a chance

Hyderabad: Telugu superstar-turned-politician Chiranjeevi on Saturday urged the people to give him a chance by voting his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) to power and vowed to root out corruption.

Continuing his tour for the third day in the north coastal district of Srikakulam, the star repeatedly appealed to people to give him a chance and promised to bring revolutionary changes in governance.

Addressing about 20 roadside meetings, Chiranjeevi focussed on corruption in various government-run schemes and termed political corruption as the "mother of all corruption".

"Thousands of crores were looted by politicians. If we root out political corruption, this menace at all levels will be eradicated. My party's aim is to provide corruption-free governance," he said.

He asked the people to check the assets of their legislators, MPs and other public representatives and said development was possible by rooting out corruption at every level.

"Each one of you should become Tagore to fight corruption," he said referring to the role of 'Professor Tagore' he played in his film of the same title.

Chiranjeevi even promised to take action against corrupt people if his party was voted to power.

"I have no money and muscle power but I have people on my side. I will solve your problems with power of your support," he said amid loud cheers.

Chiru, as he is popularly known, received tremendous public response during the tour, which covered a distance of 50 km on Saturday and passed through dozens of villages in three assembly constituencies.

The actor has taken north coastal Andhra Pradesh by storm by launching his maiden tour since taking the plunge into politics and launching PRP in August.

Simultaneous elections to the Andhra Pradesh assembly and the Lok Sabha are likely to be held in February-March next year.

Thousands of people were lined on either side of the roads to catch a glimpse of the actor, who bid adieu to his three-decade long film career to enter politics.

Standing atop his special vehicle, the actor waved at huge crowds. Hundreds were sitting on rooftops and balconies and some diehard fans had climbed nearby trees and poles.

Continuing to focus on local issues, he highlighted the problems faced by fishermen and farmers in the coastal district.

Opposing the proposed coastal industrial corridor, he said this would endanger the livelihood of thousands of fishermen, farmers and those living on coast.

He said special economic zones (SEZs) should come up only with the land required to set up industries. "There should be no real estate business in the name of SEZs. No SEZ should render people homeless and jobless," he said.

Referring to the problems faced by farmers in north coastal Andhra, poverty and backwardness, he should rulers take responsibility for this situation.