Two days after Real Star Upendra launched his political party, Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Paksha, the actor is mired in controversy with a JD(U) leader filing a complaint against him for inciting voters to commit a crime.
On Thursday, Nagesh N, General Secretary of JD(U)’s Bengaluru city wing, filed a complaint with the Seshadripuram Police stating that actor Upendra encouraged voters to accept money from politicians if offered during elections.
According to an officer in the Seshadripuram Police Station, Nagesh had approached Seshadripuram police seeking legal action against the Sandalwood star.
However, the case was transferred to High Grounds due to jurisdictional issues. “We know that the complaint was transferred but we have still not received the physical copy of the complaint. Once we receive the complaint, we will take it forward,” an officer with the High Grounds Police Station told TNM.
Nagesh claimed that on Tuesday, at the launch of his political party Upendra said that voters could accept money offered by politicians. Nagesh alleged that his statement encouraged people to commit a crime.
“He has given us a few media reports about actor Upendra’s statement. The reports quote Upendra as saying – ‘Take the money, it is yours anyway’,” the officer from Seshadripuram Police Station said.
On Wednesday, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje had lashed out against Upendra alleging that the actor’s song MTV Subbalakhsmi ge bari olu was being used to take pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“On the day actor Upendra launched his political party, he made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a song from one of his films. It is everyone’s right to form their own party but we will take legal action against actor Upendra for insulting our Prime Minister,” Shobha Karandlaje had told media persons.
Reacting to the allegations levelled against him by the BJP leader, Upendra tweeted a link to a story which stated that a spoof of the song from his movie Upendra was used by the Congress to point out the misdeeds of the Modi government.
On Monday, the state Congress unit and its volunteers started a new hashtag series 'Bari Olu Modi' after the PM’s speech, where he said Karnataka is waiting to join other states which are miles ahead in development and that he wanted a regime change in the 2018 elections.