Allu Arjun called out by Congress MLC for denying his role in Pushpa 2 stampede case: ‘You need to repent’

A day after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi spoke about the Pushpa 2 premiere stampede incident at the Telangana assembly and Allu Arjun held a press meet to address fresh allegations, MLC Venkat Balmoor is the latest to call out the actor. In a video released on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Venkat asks Arjun to ‘self-reflect’ on his part in the tragedy. (Also Read: Allu Arjun emotionally responds to allegations against him in Pushpa 2 stampede: ‘This is a new low, am I not a father?’)

MLC Venkat Balmoor on Allu Arjun

In the video released on Sunday, Venkat claimed that when Arjun called for a press conference on Saturday to address things said by the CM, he had ‘hoped’ it was ‘out of repentance’. He said, “Because, despite knowing about what happened at the Sandhya Theatre, there’s video footage of till when you watched the film, clapped along and if you left the theatre holding a rally or not. And yet, you are insisting you knew nothing about the incident then. Okay, but then, even after knowing of the incident the next day, you burst firecrackers at your home - which we haven’t pointed out till now.”

Venkat then pointed out that Arjun said in the press meet that all he wanted to do was bring pride to the Telugu people, but that it can’t come at the cost of a life. He said, “You’re saying you want to bring pride to the Telugu people. But when something of this sort happens knowingly or unknowingly, when people die, you need to show some empathy and support the victim’s family. When the CM is clear that he will punish anyone who has done wrong, no matter who they are, it’s not okay for you to hold a press meet like this. I demand you have some self-reflection and take back your words.”

What did CM Revanth, Akbaruddin say

Akbaruddin claimed in the assembly, “According to the information I have received, the star who went to the theatre to watch the film was informed about the issue when it happened. Even the police told him that there was a stampede and two children have fallen, one woman is dead. The film star turned to them, smiled and said, now the film will be a hit.”

Revanth called out film stars who visited Arjun for not visiting the victim’s family and stated that Arjun did not have police permission to visit the theatre or hold a ‘road show’. The actor was brought out by force by the DCP when he refused to budge even after being informed of the deaths. The police also told him they'll have to arrest him if he doesn't leave the theatre,” said Revanth.

Arjun held a press meet after the assembly session on Saturday evening, denying all the fresh charges levelled against him. He got emotional during the press meet and said, “This is a low point in my life. I have a kid of the same age (as the victim in coma), am I not a father? Don’t I understand how the father feels?”

What happened

On December 4, Arjun visited Sandhya Theatre with his family and co-star Rashmika Mandanna for Pushpa 2: The Rule’s premiere. His visit caused a stampede-like situation when enthusiastic fans rushed to catch a glimpse of him. It resulted in the death of one woman while her young son was hospitalised in critical condition. Arjun was arrested in the case on December 13 and released the following day after interim bail was granted by the Telangana High Court.