TIRUPATI: Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC) Chairman and Tollywood comedian Balireddy Prudhviraj resigned from his post on Sunday after he was allegedly caught in an indecent conversation with a woman employee of the channel in audio tapes, and an inquiry was ordered by the vigilance wing of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) into the issue.
Though it was learnt that TTD Trust Board Chairman YV Subba Reddy asked Prudhviraj to step down after directions from Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, he claimed that he himself quit the post and exuded confidence that he would come out clean in the controversy.
The day unfolded with CITU leader Murali, on behalf of SVBC employees, convening a press meet here where he revealed the audio tapes purportedly with the voice of Prudhviraj making an indecent conversation with a woman anchor of the channel.
Murali alleged that Prudhviraj used Padmavathi Guest House for consuming liquor. The trade union leader also accused the SVBC Chairman of collecting money from at least 36 candidates by promising to provide them jobs in the channel, but failed to fulfil his assurance after the issue went to the notice of TTD Chairman.
As the audio went viral, the TTD swung into action and Subba Reddy directed the vigilance wing to investigate the matter. "I spoke to Prudhviraj and he claimed that the voice in the audio tapes is not his. I asked the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer to probe the audio tapes issue and submit a report,” Subba Reddy told mediapersons in Hyderabad.
Sources said Subba Reddy took up the issue with Jagan, who is also in Hyderabad, and apprised him of the controversy. It is learnt that Jagan took a serious view of the issue and wanted Prudhviraj to quit the post immediately on moral grounds.
Minutes after Subba Reddy conveyed the same to Prudhviraj, the latter convened a press meet at the Press Club in Hyderabad and announced that he was stepping down from the post. "There is a conspiracy to defame me. No one has asked me to step down. I am voluntarily quitting the post and I will come out clean. I am ready for any kind of inquiry," he said, and added that the audio tapes were doctored.
Prudhviraj also refuted the allegations that he consumed liquor in Padmavathi Guest House and said he is ready for any kind of medical tests to prove that he had not consumed liquor for the past one year. Stating that he will wait for the inquiry report and take the reins of SVBC once he gets a clean chit.
Prudhviraj was involved in a political controversy in the recent times when he termed the farmers of Amaravati region, who are agitating against the three-capital proposal, ‘paid artistes’. Taking a serious view of his remarks, the YSRC leadership asked him to refrain from making such comment.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Prudhviraj said his comments were only aimed at benamis and not genuine farmers and apologised to the Amaravati farmers for hurting their sentiments.