The Special Category Status (SCS) promised to the State did not materialise because of lack of political accountability, Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan said on Saturday.
It was evident from the manner in which the Central government and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu changed their respective positions as per their convenience, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said, and insisted that Mr. Naidu lead an all-party delegation to New Delhi to press for SCS.
Addressing the media after inaugurating the party State office here, Mr. Pawan Kalyan recalled that he had supported the TDP-BJP combine with the hope that it would pull the State out of the crisis.
“But Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Naidu have let the people down and still show no real concern for the plight of the residuary State,” he added.
With his vast experience, Mr. Naidu could have salvaged the situation, but he chose a different path because of his selfish interests, the JSP president alleged.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan said the Chief Minister should, at least now, mount pressure on the BJP-led NDA government by taking all the parties into confidence.
The previous all-party meetings at the Secretariat chaired by Mr. Naidu had no real commitment and were a mere formality, he observed. The JSP had, therefore, stayed away from the deliberations.
Telangana elections
Referring to the Assembly elections in Telangana, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he was thinking of putting up candidates in 23 or 24 seats. A final decision would be taken in a few days, the JSP president said. “The ruling TRS has many strong leaders, a few of them corporators promoted by me. They have expressed their readiness to join the JSP and contest on its behalf,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan claimed.
Former Speaker Nadendla Manohar, who joined the JSP on Friday, said he was attracted by Mr. Pawan Kalyan’s sincerity and commitment to do good to the people. The party would not take decisions that were politically expedient and would firmly stand by collective resolutions, he added.
