VIJAYAWADA: The remarks made by Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan against village/ward volunteers continue to draw criticism from the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRC) leaders.
While Tourism Minister RK Roja threatened serious consequences if the former failed to tender an apology to volunteers, former minister and YSRC MLA K Kannababu said the JSP chief lacked knowledge of the system and made baseless remarks.
Speaking to media persons at the party central office on Tuesday, Roja launched a scathing attack on Pawan. “So far I thought that the JSP chief get shivers on coming across the name of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, but now I have understood that he is shivering to see the volunteer system rolled out by Jagan, she remarked.
Lashing out at Pawan for making disrespectful comments about volunteers, women and the CM for the past three days, she asserted that the JSP chief could not touch the volunteer system.
Stating that volunteers extend services at the doorstep of the people without giving scope for corruption, she said everyone in the State would first call them for their every problem.
Observing that the JSP chief reading out the script sent by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu without any shame, she said after realising the importance of volunteers in society, Naidu was now spitting venom on the system through his adopted son Pawan.
“Being a woman, I cannot tolerate the comments of Pawan that volunteers are involved in the trafficking of women. It is atrocious and nothing but insulting women,” she said.
Suggesting Pawan knows the difference between missing and human trafficking, Roja said AP is not among the top 10 States in missing cases.
Quoting the statistics of NCRB, Kannababu said while AP was in 11th place in missing cases, it stood second in tracing. “There is no volunteer system in the top 10 States in missing cases. Then, who is responsible for the missing women in those States," he asked.
Former minister Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao (Nani) said he would request the CM to admit both Naidu and Pawan to a mental hospital.