Film-star-turned-politician Chiranjeevi used the occasion of Ramadan to woo the sizeable Muslim votebank in the state. He took this opportunity to stress on his commitment to secularism and respect for all religions.
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Welcoming former Telugu Desam Party legislator from Kadapa Khaleel Basha, along with hundreds of his supporters, to his party Praja Rajyam, Chiranjeevi recalled his close association with the minority community.
He told the gathering how he used to observe fast during the month of Ramadan along with his Muslim friends.
"When my father was working as a constable in Ponnuru and I was studying in the 6th standard, I had lots of Muslim friends. I used to go with them to the mosque for prayers and even observed fasts during Ramadan," he said.
"I even learnt Arabic alphabets" he said, surprising every body.
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He recited the Arabic alphabets "Alif, Bay , Tay, Say," and even wrote them down, much to the amusement of his audience.
Chiranjeevi even sported a traditional Muslim skull cap and wore a green cloth around his shoulder -- gifted by his supporters -- for the occasion.
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"Muslims observe fast during the entire month, read Quran and pray for everybody's well being," he said while extending the greetings of Ramadan to all "Muslim brothers and sisters".
The actor claimed that even today he could clearly recall the verses of Azan (call for prayers) which he used to hear in his childhood.
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Chiranjeevi even repeated some of the verses like La ilaha illallah and Mohammed ur Rasoolullah. "I had learnt them and used to repeat those lines," he said.
Khaleel Basha said that the Muslim minority was getting attracted to Chiranjeevi because of his earnest promise to do justice to everybody.
"He works for the welfare of the people and has promised that the benefits of the development reach the lowest rung of every section of the society," he said, explaining why he was joining the actor's party.
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Chiranjeevi's gesture towards the minority community was a throwback to the 1980s when another film-star-turned-politician, NT Rama Rao, also appeared in the traditional Muslim attire to woo the community. He even joined Muslims in offering evening prayers whenever he organised an official Iftaar party during Ramadan.
Praja Rajyam workers also organised a feeding programme at a local religious Madrasa in Hyderabad to mark the birthday of Pavan Kalyan, the actor's younger brother.
Meanwhile, party spokesperson P Mitra said that Chiranjeevi will kick off his three-month long statewide yatra from October.
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