'No Respect For...': Vaishnaw Slams Congress Over Allu Arjun's Arrest

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw criticized the Congress party on Friday, accusing it of showing "no respect for the creative industry" following the arrest of actor Allu Arjun in connection with the tragic incident at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre.

Arjun was detained after the death of a woman, Revathi, during a chaotic crowd situation at the premiere of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4. He was later granted bail by the Telangana High Court.

Vaishnaw took to social media to express his outrage, stating, "Congress has no respect for the creative industry, and the arrest of Allu Arjun proves it yet again." He further added that the mishap was due to poor arrangements by local authorities and suggested that the incident was being used as a diversion to deflect blame.

"The Telangana government should focus on punishing those responsible for the mishandling of the event rather than attacking film personalities. It’s disheartening to see such behavior becoming a norm during the one year of Congress rule," Vaishnaw wrote on X.

Congress has no respect for the creative industry and the arrest of Allu Arjun proves it yet again.

The mishap at Sandhya Theatre was a clear case of poor arrangements by the state and local administration. Now, to deflect that blame, they are indulging in such publicity…

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) December 13, 2024

The incident, which led to the tragic death of 35-year-old Revathi and injuries to her son, sparked a police investigation and the arrest of three individuals, including Arjun. Earlier in the day, Hyderabad police clarified a circulating letter requesting additional police bandobast for the release of Pushpa 2.

The letter, submitted by Sandhya Cine Enterprise, had raised concerns about crowd control during the film's premiere. Police clarified that while many requests for bandobast were received for various events, it was beyond their resources to accommodate every request.

Despite the chaos, police stated that the crowd was manageable until Allu Arjun’s arrival, adding to the controversy surrounding the incident. The Telangana High Court later granted Allu Arjun interim bail, with the actor’s legal representative confirming the development. The case is still under investigation.