Don't behave like school kids, Chiru tells AP legislators

Hyderabad: In his maiden speech in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Thursday, actor-turned-politician K Chiranjeevi advised lawmakers not to behave like school children and reminded them that people were watching their actions in the house.

The Telugu superstar urged the members of the Assembly not to waste time and public money by unnecessary debate on trivial issues.

"People have sent us to discuss and solve their problems and it is not proper on our part to discuss unnecessary issues," he said while congratulating Kiran Kumar Reddy on his unanimous election as the Speaker.

The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) leader, who took oath as a legislator on Wednesday, was speaking after the house witnessed heated arguments over some remarks made by the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislator Ashok Gajapati Raju.

"Yesterday (Wednesday), I told media persons that I am happy over the cordial atmosphere in the house but I never thought that the second day will witness such acrimony," said Chiranjeevi, who launched the PRP last year after three-decade long film career.

The superstar also provided some lighter moments in the tense atmosphere. "I know you were a cricketer and you were a Ranji player but I don't know if you were a bowler or a batsman," he told Kiran Kumar.

Some Congress legislators pointed out that the Speaker was a wicket-keeper.

Chiru, as the actor is popularly called, advised Kiran Kumar to act like an umpire between ruling party and the opposition. "Since the opposition parties raise more issues of people, you should allot more time to us," said Chiru, whose party has 18 members in the 294-member house.

Another prominent first-timer in the House, Jayaprakash Narayan, too made an impressive speech in the house. The bureaucrat-turned-politician said people were losing confidence in the debates in legislature and urged the lawmakers to restore public confidence.

The lone legislator of the Lok Satta party termed as unfortunate the pandemonium on the second day of the session and said this would give a bad impression of the house to the first-timers.

Jayaprakash Narayan, who quit as Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in 1997 to launch a movement for democratic reforms, advised legislators to leave their political rivalries outside the house and discuss the real issues of people.