CNN IBN’s controversial article on Chiranjeevi

CNN IBN has published a controversial article on its website sensationally calling the union minister ‘a big zero in Andhra Pradesh’!

Here are some comments made in the article -

A senior journalist in Hyderabad said, “Earlier the people used to wait outside his house for a glimpse of Chiranjeevi for days. Now even if he walks on the roads, nobody looks at him.”

According to the people close to him, Chiranjeevi was under the impression that he could repeat what the legendary film star NT Ramarao did in the early 1980s. His calculations went horribly wrong and he was finally forced to merge his party with the Congress in return for a Rajya Sabha seat for himself. This made him one of the several dozen leaders of the overcrowded Congress party. He managed to secure a berth for himself in the Union Cabinet in 2012. But his political ambitions ended his film career and mass appeal. He also lost the brand value.

He is an unwanted man in Andhra Pradesh Congress. Some leaders joke that he is now a big zero both in politics and film. Even his hardcore fans are also disillusioned and most of his fan clubs have shut the doors long ago.

While it is true that Chiranjeevi didn’t do that well in politics, calling him zero or the most unpopular figure raises questions on quality of media articles too. When the main party leaders like Chandrababu and Jagan themselves are struggling to survive, expecting Chiranjeevi to do any better is a little over-expectation!