VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan stepped up his attack on the BJP and the TDP on the issue of special category status, a day after the police foiled a candlelight march of students on RK Beach in Visakhapatnam.
Speaking to mediapersons in Hyderabad on Friday, the film actor said: "I am shocked at the opportunistic politics of the BJP. When I campaigned for the BJP in the last elections, no one had asked me whether I had any experience in politics. In fact, the party leaders had me campaign for them not only in TS and AP, but also in Karnataka and at the AP-Tamil Nadu border. Now the same leaders ask me what experience I have in politics to seek special category status. Could there be a better instance of political opportunism?" he asked.
The Jana Sena chief, for more than half an hour, targeted both the BJP and the TDP for reneging on special category status. He wanted to know how Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was speaking in a different voice now asking whether SCS is a mrita sanjaveeni after fighting for SCS for 10 years at the time of bifurcation of the State. "If you keep changing your stance, the people would not keep quiet," he warned.
He lashed out at Venkaiah Naidu for the changing his stand frequently. "Whenever Venkaiah Naidu talks about SCS, he says the BJP knows when to give it as though it is a 'prasadam'".
"What do the BJP leaders think of themselves? Are they gods? Have they come down from heaven? Are we your slaves? SCS is our right. You have time to think of Rama Mandiram but have no time for the problem of four crore people. If you have focussed on this problem as much you did on your Swarna Bharat Trust, the issue would have been resolved long ago," he said.
He took Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to task for dancing to the tunes of the BJP leaders at Delhi.
"In AP there is no TDP government. It is a mini-BJP governance. Chandrababu Naidu should explain why he has gone back on his demand for SCS. Why should he compromise on it? Morally it is wrong. It is unfortunate that a chief minister who wants to build a capital like Singapore should have a Union Minister like Sujana Chowdary in tow always. What kind of message should one take from this when Sujana Chowdary happens to be a defaulter of bank loans. Why should Naidu give contract for Polavaram to TDP MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao?"" he asked.
Pawan Kalyan made it clear that he does not care whether his political relationship would continue with the TDP or not. "It is not difficult for me to severe ties with the TDP since I had even left my family to take up issues concerning people. I did not question the TDP for three years since I had thought Naidu should be left alone as he was trying to rebuild the State after bifurcation. But I cannot remain silent forever when people's issues are not resolved ,"" he said.
He did not spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi either. He said: "I had thought that, under Modi's rule, democracy would flourish. What all we wanted is a benevolent democracy but not one bordering on
dictatorial democracy,"" he said, referring to the way Rohit Vemula's suicide and demonetisation of high value notes had been handled. "
"People have suffered but you do not seem to notice it,"" he said.