Pawan Kalyan criticizes actor Karthi over remarks on Tirupati laddu, Karthi issues apology
Andhra Pradesh: After objections raised by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, actor Karthi issued an apology on September 24, for his remarks regarding the ongoing Tirupati laddu controversy. Karthi expressed regret through a post on X, stating, “Dear @PawanKalyan sir, with deep respects to you, I apologise for any unintended misunderstanding caused. As a humble devotee of Lord Venkateswara, I always hold our traditions dear.”
The controversy began after Karthi made a light-hearted comment about the laddu issue at the pre-release event of his film Sathyam Sundaram on September 23. When asked about a meme referencing laddus, he remarked, “Let’s not talk about laddus now. It is a sensitive topic,” alluding to allegations of adulteration involving the Tirupati laddus, which reportedly contain animal fat.
Pawan Kalyan, who is currently observing an 11-day deeksha for "penance," took issue with Karthi's comments, stating that such matters should not be ridiculed. “The film industry should either support Hindu causes or remain silent. Don’t make jokes about the laddu controversy,” he said after visiting the Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada.
He also criticised actor Prakash Raj, who had advised against creating communal tensions over the issue. Pawan Kalyan responded, “When it comes to secularism, it’s a two-way street, not one way. Hindus are soft, so you say whatever you want. Would you dare speak the same way about Islam?”
The laddu controversy erupted on September 19 after the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam confirmed contaminants in the ghee used in laddu preparation.
Dear @PawanKalyan sir, with deep respects to you, I apologize for any unintended misunderstanding caused. As a humble devotee of Lord Venkateswara, I always hold our traditions dear. Best regards.
— Karthi (@Karthi_Offl) September 24, 2024
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Railways announces 84 special trains following IndiGo flight cancellations
New Delhi (PTI): The Railways announced 84 special trains across all zones for Saturday to help people facing travel disruptions due to the mass flight cancellations by IndiGo.
In a coordinated move by the Railway Ministry, the trains, which are to make 104 trips, were arranged in the shortest possible time after analysis of train traffic situations in major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna, and Howrah, among others.
"The number of special trains and their trips might increase further depending on the traffic scenario. All zones have been asked to make use of all available resources, including rolling stock as well as manpower, to safely operate these trains for the convenience of lakhs of passengers stranded at different parts of the country due to flight cancellations," said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information & Publicity, Railway Board.
Officials said efforts are being made to make people aware about the trains, and some divisions have even disseminated information at nearby airports to help passengers.
South Eastern Railway has issued a press release and informed the Airport Authority to display information regarding the newly introduced special train services.
ALSO READ: SWR announces special trains for passengers stranded by large-scale IndiGo cancellations
"Western Railway will run seven special trains on a special fare between Mumbai Central-New Delhi, Mumbai Central-Bhiwani, Mumbai Central-Shakur Basti, Bandra Terminus-Durgapura, Valsad-Bilaspur, Sabarmati-Delhi and Sabarmati-Delhi Sarai Rohilla stations," a press note said.
Similarly, South Central Railway on Saturday announced that it would run four special trains to manage the surge in passengers resulting from the large-scale cancellation of IndiGo flights.
Central Railway and Northern Railway have planned 14 and 10 special trains respectively, and officials said these numbers are being further reviewed to meet any rising requirements.
Other zones have also issued notifications regarding special trains along with their schedules.
For at least five days in a row, IndiGo flight operations have significantly disrupted, with a large number of cancellations and delays causing hardships to thousands of passengers. In many cases, baggages have been misplaced.
