Pawan Kalyan — Altering the political equations in Andhra Pradesh

Update: This article is published at https://www.telugu360.com/pawan-kalyan-speech-at-kakinada/

Pawan Kalyan, the founder of Jana Sena Party, gave an emotional speech at the “Seemandhra Self-Respect Meeting” held at Kakinada. This is the second public meeting in which he launched a systematic attack on all the parties for their inaction on achieving the promised special status to Andhra Pradesh. He did not hesitate to utter the names of reputed leaders of Congress and BJP. He fearlessly touched upon the issues that clearly resonate across the state. The political equations are undoubtedly altered: affecting the prospects of BJP, Congress, TDP, and YSRCP.

TDP and YSRCP are the strongest regional parties in the state. TDP and YSRCP have leadership with strong links to their traditional support base, and these parties are unlikely to be affected. Pawan Kalyan grabbed the attention of those disappointed with the major parties, those uninterested in politics, and those seeking clarity in politics. TDP and YSRCP are bound to lose this segment of supporters. More than the regional parties, the national parties in the state are facing the burnt.

Congress

After 2014 elections, Congress, once considered as “Mother” (తల్లి లాంటి కాంగ్రెస్), has been desperately trying to make their presence. The party is hardly getting space in news media. Most of the leaders migrated to TDP, BJP and YSRCP. Chiranjeevi is saving the face, and once he retires, the party may eventually decimate from the state. Pawan Kalyan’s statements on Congress will keep the public away from this party. Recently, YSRCP declared that they will not form alliance with Congress in the future and thus ruling out any ally for Congress in the state. The unpardonable mistake of dismembering Andhra Pradesh has ended the legacy of Congress in the state.

BJP

BJP is a respected national party in the state. Though, BJP has key national leaders from the state, their influence on the public is limited. The ‘special status’ issue has put a break on their aggressive expansion. Most of the former Congress leaders found shelter in BJP. In a haste to grow in number, BJP recruited few politicians who are personally criticising the TDP leadership, and irritating the top leadership of both the parties. The political actualities may force them to work with TDP in future. BJP has an assured alliance in both TDP and YSRCP. BJP’s investments in becoming a major force in the state may not be successful in the near future.

In his interview with NTV, Pawan Kalyan shared his plans for strengthening the party through the students, youth, and working class — a perfect target to base for Janasena. He further said, he is ready to go to any extent to make Janasena a people-centric than power-centric party. He is not in a hurry to expand, willing to wait longer and is determined to move forward.

This reminds a quote by Abraham Lincoln:

I will walk slowly, but I never walk backward.

He also promised transparency while receiving donations for the party, and optimistic and very cautious about recruiting and building responsible leaders. It is nothing but disruption to the existing parties which are totally unprepared to face such challenges.

Sure, he is trying to bring new enthusiasm to politics and alter the existing political equations in the state. There is a lot to be done, and would be interesting to see how this party shapes up. Wishing him the best!