Pawan steers clear of TDP; attacks BJP, Congress over special status

Targeting Modi, the Janasena president asked, “where are the ‘Achhe Din’ Mr Prime Minister?” The only person he repeatedly declared to be a 'traitor' was the BJP's Venkaiah Naidu. 

Against the backdrop of the raging controversy over the Centre’s denial of special status and the brazen failure by the Andhra MPs to mount pressure on the Centre on the subject, Pawan Kalyan addressed a rally named as “ Seemandhra Atma Gaurava Sabha” on Friday afternoon.

Pawan organised the meeting as part of his proposed three-phase campaign against the Centre’s denial of special category status to AP. 

He wants to tour the all the districts, mobilising the people for an agitation against centre apathy towards people’s demand for special status.

Training his guns on Bharatiya Janata Party, especially the BJP’s Telugu leader M Venkaiah Naidu, actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan took strong objection to the opportunistic politics of the saffron party with regards to according special status to Andhra Pradesh.

 Accusing BJP and the Congress of being co-conspirators in dividing the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, Pawan, who is president of the recently launched political outfit Janasena, said what the BJP gave the Telugu people (a.k.a a special package announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley) was just 'two stale laddoos'.

“Congress party betrayed the Telugu people. Divorcing from Indira Gandhi’s policies of keeping the Telugu people united, Congress joined hands with the BJP in 2014 to divide the state. Later, the people went to the BJP to seek justice. But unfortunately, while Congress had stabbed us in the back, the BJP has stabbed us in the belly now,” he said to the cheering crowds in the coastal city of Kakinada.

 He wondered how the BJP could ignore the assurance given to Andhra Pradesh people on the floor of the Union parliament, even while garlanding Dr Amdedkar every year. 

"Ignoring a parliamentary assurance is an insult to Dr Ambedkar," he said.

To the surprise of many of fans,  Pawan excoriated only the national parties - BJP and Congress, sparing the ruling Telugu Desam Party, which is the BJP's partner.

However, he was extremely critical of the state's MPs who, he charged, were busy in the promoting their own interests alone.

“Sacrifice a fraction of your vested interests for the sake of the people and state,” he urged the MPs, in a tone of biting sarcasm.

“Eat raw chilli chutney, apply it to your bodies and attend the Parliament. At least then,  you will get some enlightenment thanks to the burning sensation of hot chillies,” he said.

Pawan did not take the name of chief minister Chandrababu Naidu in his hour-long speech. 

Though he rubbished the so-called 'package' as rotten laddoos, his silence on Naidu, who has previously gobbled up similar 'rotten laddoos' like a seagull, defies logic.

The only name he repeatedly uttered as the traitor was the name of Venkaiah Naidu. He squarely blamed Delhi-based Naidu for the predicament of the Telugu people. 

He warned TG Venkatesh, TDP Rajya Sabha member, that he could reveal many unpalatable things about him if he wanted.

Taking a dig at PM Modi  and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Pawan said, “You spoke in clear language during the election campaign (Modi’s assurance of special status for Andhra) and after the election you address us in unintelligible terms (Arun Jaitley’s explanation of central assistance in place of a special status).”

Pawan was extremely critical of the BJP’s Andhra agenda. 

“You promised 'one vote two states' in a resolution adopted in 1996 in Kakinada.  Then no rule had stopped you. Now, when we demand the implementation of your own assurance on special status, now, you see a lakh rules coming in the way,” he said.

Targeting Modi, the Janasena president asked, “where are the ‘Achhe Din’ Mr Prime Minister?”

Though he did not oppose the bandh call given by the opposition YSR Congress Party, Pawan personally was not for youths participating in the bandh. 

“Why should you suffer?  Why should you lose your education?  It is not you who should participate in bandhs, but those who are enjoying subsidised lunches in the parliament canteen,” he said and added that he would leave the matter to the people whether to participate in the bandh or not.

He asked the state MPs to resign in protest and claimed that the Janasena would ensure their reelection.