VIJAYAWADA: Telugu film actor Pawan Kalyan is known for his unconventional approach to politics. Speaking at the Harvard Kennedy School on Monday, the Tollywood number 1 surprised the audience by declaring that his political party, Jana Sena, will have a separate wing for transgenders. This was to ensure gender equality cutting across all barriers, he declared.
For the first time, Pawan Kalyan spoke openly about the Jana Sena’s organisational structure at and announced plans to have a separate NRI wing in the party to effectively use the services of his NRI fans and supporters.
Delivering the keynote address on 'Emerging India - Role of Andhra Pradesh' at the India Conference organised by students of Harvard Kennedy School, Pawan Kalyan appealed to governments to respect the people's sentiments and warned that it would lead to disaster if they didn’t.
He pointed out that people tend to be emotional but politicians look at them only as vote banks. "There should be a humane approach in politics.Unless we address issues at the individual level, India cannot progress," he said.
The actor-politician said the benefits of development must reach the youth of India before the country can the benefit of the demographic dividend from the young population in India. He observed that the
recent protests for Jallikattu in southern India were indicative of an undercurrent of anger among the youth.
“The youth are getting restless about the volatile political situation and uncertainty in Tamil Nadu which they needed to vent in one form or the other. That’s why we had the Jallikattu protests,” he said. "A similar situation prevails across India and politicians should understand the urgent the need to address them."
With reference to the protests for special category status in Andhra Pradesh, Pawan
Kalyan told the Harvard audience that it is easy to express one's views on social media, but the youth ought to do more, they need to make an effort to achieve what they believe in. "How many people come out on to the roads to fight for what they believe in despite a threat to their lives? In democracy, you have the right to express yourself and fight for it," he said.
Pawan said a key issue that he wanted to address through his party is the welfare of women. "Our governments talk about women's empowerment, but they do not ensure personal hygienic conditions for
girl children in schools and hostels. Before trying to empower women, let us give them a healthy life," he said.
The actor also emphasised the need for a powerful law to ensure for women's safety and pointed out that it was only after the Nirbhaya rape incident in Delhi that the government made strong laws. "Our politicians and even the people need to look beyond Delhi," he said.
The Tollywood star stressed the need to define development with more clarity.
"Development means different things to different people. It could be potable water for a woman in Adilabad, a television set for a housewife in the city and a playground for a student. We might say India is rising and its standards are improving, but these fruits of development are not reaching all," he added.
He wanted governments to make efforts to introduce the culture of different regions in India to other regions through cultural centres to promote inclusiveness. The audience went wild when Pawan Kalyan arrived for the Harvard lecture. Dressed in a dark blue suit and a dark shirt, the Tollywood star answered questions from the audience at the end of his speech.
Describing the Harvard audience as 'thinking people', he hoped he had communicated what he believed in and what he stood for.