Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s brother in law and actor-turned-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna, who known for his high-headedness, is once again in the news for assaulting and threatening a journalist from Mojo TV.
The incident took place on Wednesday when the Hindupur MLA from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), was campaigning in his constituency.
In a video which has been widely circulating on social media, the MLA is seen slapping and giving life threats to the journalist who was filming his campaign. He threw abuses at the media person mercilessly.
The video clearly shows Balakrishna threatening the journalist that he would slit him. (nariki pogulu peduta)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLGAxLDFgwg]
The MLA who was campaigning in Hindupur was being garlanded by TDP cadres when several children tried to make their way close to the actor-politician, only to be pushed away by people who appear to be the MLA’s personal security personnel. Balakrishna, who saw the journalist filming the entire incident got irked with him and asked the journalist to delete the video immediately.
This followed with Balakrishna threatening and hurling indecent abuses at the journalist. He is heard saying, “Delete it. Delete it,” before he slaps the reporter, even as the latter insists that he did not film anything.
Even as security personnel intimidated the reporter, Balakrishna can be seen saying, “I know how to wield a knife. I even know how to hurl bombs. I will take your life.”
Hours after the incident took place and the video went viral on social media, Balakrishna issued an apology on Facebook for attacking the journalist.
Nandamuri Balakrishna took to Facebook to say, “It was a mistake on my part to assume that people who are taking videos of kids are miscreants. I felt they are misbehaving with the kids. I have no idea they are from the media. I apologize to all media persons who are troubled by my behaviour”.
However, this is not the first time Balakrishna has resorted to such offensive behaviour in public. Actor-politician Balakrishna is infamous for slapping people trying to take selfies with him. In 2004, he was accused of shooting at producer Bellamkonda Suresh in self-defence.
