Actor and Jana Sena party president Pawan Kalyan on Friday slammed Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababdu Naidu for allying with the Congress, terming it as “politics of convenience” and said it has “killed the Telugu self-respect.”
The coming together of the Telugu Desam Party and Congress was not even for benefit of TDP or Andhra Pradesh, he claimed.
“In fact, the TDP-Congress alliance has caused a sense of deep hurt and killed the Telugu self-respect.”
“It is not even for the benefit of the TDP or Andhra Pradesh,” Kalyan said.
He said he differed with his own brother, former Union minister K Chiranjeevi, when the latter joined the Congress only to protect the state’s interests.
“We have to safeguard our self-respect. Our stand should, hence, be in a measured manner,” he added.
Aiming to forge an anti-BJP front ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Naidu on Thursday met heads of several Opposition parties, including Rahul Gandhi, and termed his party’s alliance with the Congress a “democratic compulsion” to protect the country.
In an informal chat with newsmen on board the Janmabhoomi Express proceeding to Tuni from Vijayawada Friday, Kalyan claimed that there was no chance of realignment of political parties in the state in the wake of the TDP’s move.
“There is no chance of a realignment (of parties). What Chandrababu Naidu did was only to protect his (political) existence. If any realignment happens…from our side, it will be for the sake of the people,” Kalyan asserted.
“When I supported the TDP (in 2014), majority of people agreed with me. Rather, I echoed their thoughts. But now, (safeguarding) power is their ultimate objective while our aim is bringing about a change,” he said.
Asked about the general feeling that he might again support the TDP, post-2019 elections, he remarked that people have a right to think like that.
“I can’t help it,” he said, stressing that he would not indulge in politics of deception.
“Our party will never do it. Whatever I do, I will be open about it,” he asserted.
“I will officially announce if there is anything,” he added.
On the TDP-Congress alliance, the actor likened it to the hype prior to the release of a movie.
“During a film’s pre-release, there will be a lot of advertisement that its going to become a big hit. Eventually, however, it will end up as a failure. Thats how we look at it,” he said.
“Deep down, in the long term, it’s only politics of convenience but it has caused a deep hurt,” Kalyan observed.
Alleging that the two national parties (Congress and BJP) had always “looked down at us”, Kalyan said he always wanted to be wary of them.
“There should be no slavery (to the national parties),” he added.
Kalyan said there was seething anger among youth and they were seeking an alternative, not opportunistic politics.
“That 23 lakh youth enrolled as new voters reflects the anger. … They will show their anger in the elections,” he cautioned.
source: Firstpost.com
