The politicisation of the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) problem in the Uddanam region of Srikakulam district would only lead to prolonging the issue without any solution.
The emphasis should be on providing relief to the suffering people, said Jana Sena Party (JSP) founder and actor Pawan Kalyan here at Madhurawada on Sunday.
Addressing doctors, scientists, medical students, JSP activists and fans at a meeting on “Jana Sena for Uddanam: Addressing the neglected” organised by the party, Mr. Pawan Kalyan scoffed at media speculation that he was “helping the TDP government.” He said the solution was more important than who would get the credit. “Some people fight for regionalism, some for caste and some for nation, but there is none to fight for humanity. Humanity, which brought us all together, moves us, no matter where we come from, including Dr. Joseph and Dr. Venkata Sabbisetti, who have come all the way from Harvard,” he said amid applause.
“Experts attribute various reasons for Uddanam. I am not an intellectual or an expert in any of these areas [health]. But when a fellow human being is suffering, I cannot remain silent. One should have a heart to solve the problem. I will take the problem to the notice of the government,” he said.
“My only aim is to find a solution to the problem by taking the issue to the notice of the government. I am ready to take the support of YSRCP president Jagan Mohan Reddy and the Opposition, if needed, to ensure justice is done to the affected people of Uddanam.” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he had come across the problem when he was shooting for the film ‘ Thammudu ’ and he planned the success meet of the film in that area. “I wanted to address the problem but was prevented from doing it by local political groups in that area.” Apologising for the late arrival at the meeting, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he was stopped by women on the way to the meeting venue from the airport.
“They wanted me to show this placard at the meeting and I am bound to do so.” The placard in Telugu read: “Do not set up wine shops in residential areas.”
He greeted two boys from Uddanam, who lost their parents to the CKD. The boys were adopted by Mr. Pawan Kalyan. Earlier, Vice-Chancellor of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (Vijayawada) T. Ravi Raju, Dr. Joseph Bonventre and Dr. Venkata Sabbisetti from Harvard, Dr. Krishna Murthy, a medical practitioner from Uddanam, Dr. V. Durga Rao, Dr. Dakshina Murthy and Dr. Ashok Kumar and Mr. Rajesh of JSP spoke on various aspects of the disease.
CM-Pawan meet today
Staff Reporter in Vijayawada writes: Mr. Pawan Kalyan is scheduled to participate in discussions on ‘Uddanam Nephropathy’ with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and scientists from Harvard University, at the Secretariat on July 31.The deliberations are a follow-up to the field visit by the researchers and a meeting in Visakhapatnam in the last couple of days.
Mr. Naidu is expected to lend clarity on how the government planned to tackle the problem after consultations with the Harvard professors.
