A secretly recorded video of megastar Chiran-jeevi giving directions to his party district coordinators to spy on leaders who have come in from other parties has embarrassed the Praja Rajyam to no end.

The video, which has been posted in popular website YouTube, was recorded with a spy camera by a leader who took part in the core committee meeting. It was also circulated to a section of the press. In the video, Chiranjeevi can be seen saying that many whom he considered close aides were passing on information to rivals.

“These days we can’t believe anybody however big they may be,” he says in the video grab. “After all we are all human beings and have so many desires. So I want you to spy on the movements of politicians in our party.” The Praja Rajyam is red-faced that a meeting which was held to chalk out plans to snoop on leaders was itself spied upon.

More so, since it has happened just two days after the party accused the government of tapping the cell phones of its leaders. The issue came out just days after this paper reported that party observers had been asked to spy on new entrants. Chiranjeevi’s directive has also given credence to criticism that Praja Rajyam istreating leaders who came in from the Congress and the Telugu Desam with derision and suspicion.

The core committee meeting was held in the context of a ‘classified file’ going missing from the Praja Rajyam headquarters despite it being under constant surveillance by CCTV cameras. The party spokesperson, Mr P. Mitra, however defended the plans to spy on the activities of the party leaders. “There is nothing wrong in it,” he said. “We are keeping tabs on the politicians who came in from other parties only to keep the party corruption free.”

This newspaper had reported the other day that the party had appointed district coordinators to spy on the movements of leaders. The Praja Rajyam top brass is also afraid that politicians from other parties may now think twice before crossing over. Meanwhile, the second phase of Chiranjeevi’s Praja Ankita Yatra will begin from Siricilla in Karimnagar district on Thursday.