In the recently-concluded MAA elections, 11 members of the Prakash Raj panel won from the Executive Committee although Prakash Raj himself lost the election. On Tuesday, in a surprising turn of events, all the 11 members tendered their resignation as a mark of protest against the attitude of the Mohan Babu faction.
The members highlighted the lack of unity within the organization. They said that they will continue to be in the Association only if the bylaws are not tinkered with. There is a proposal by MAA President-Designate Vishnu Manchu to change a few bylaws concerning the nativity of artists.
Speaking on the occasion, actor Uttej (who won as Joint Secretary) got emotional and cried. "When my wife died recently, everyone right from Chiranjeevi garu down came to console me. But MAA President Naresh garu didn't even call me. If he can't do this to an EC member, what about others?" he asked.
Banerjee said that he was severely abused by Mohan Babu as the polling was under way on Sunday. With tears in his eyes and his voice choking, the artist said that Mohan Babu tried to beat him up. "It was Vishnu who took me away from his father's reach. The abuses were unbearable. For the past two days, I have been shattered," Banerjee said.
Pragathi, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Shiva Reddy, Suresh Kondeti, Kaushik and others were present on the occasion.
ETV Prabhakar said that it was Manchu Manoj who played a critical role in preventing violence from breaking out at the time of polling. "Hats off to him and Vishnu Manchu. They controlled their angry father in time," he added.
Tanish got emotional and said that he has immense respect for Vishnu. Prakash Raj clarified that there are no plans to form a new Association as a breakaway outfit.
