Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan has said he learnt many lessons from the erstwhile Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) of his brother Chiranjeevi, and decided not to repeat the mistakes.
He said he would unveil his party’s ideology and stand on different issues, including Kapu reservation, during a workshop in January.
Addressing party workers after visiting Polavaram on Thursday, Mr. Pawan said those who were committed to the party could join him and those with political ambitions could drop out. He said the PRP was not strong at the grassroots level and Mr. Chiranjeevi was calm and submissive. “Unlike Chiranjeevi, I am not of soft nature. My case is quite different, and I stepped into politics with guts and determination,”he said.
Parakala flayed
Coming down heavily on the government’s Adviser (Communications) Parakala Prabhakar, the JSP chief said he was the first person to ditch his brother when he left the PRP. He said Mr. Prabhakar once commented on his stand on the SCS issue. “Why can’t he ask his wife Nirmala Seetharaman, who is in Modi’s Cabinetm to speak on SCS?” he questioned.
Speaking on the Kapu reservation issue, he said though he respected all castes, he always felt that caste was an illusion. He recalled that he told TDP that when they were including reservation for Kapus in its manifesto, that it should be implemented properly. He said that one should fight about issues with a clear vision and not on the basis of their strength.
He referred to the Telangana movement, and said KCR fought with clear vision and not by showing strength. “I will not use caste to come into power, and one should remember that I don’t believe in caste. I am an Indian. How many people can say Jai Bheem wholeheartedly?” he asked. He recalled that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar fought for a casteless society and his followers should also worship him on those lines, but not by performing “palabhishekams” to his statues.
Mr. Pawan said he was not having funds to hold meetings and run the party, but his strength was the workers with commitment. He said that CPI and CPI(M) were running without money, and that he wanted to proceed on the same lines. He alleged that people who are not having faith in democracy are entering Parliament.
The hall in the hotel where the meeting was jam packed and fans thronged the venue in large numbers. Th police and the organisers had a tough time to restrict the entry into the venue.
