The Jana Sena Party cadres in Visakhapatnam were jubilant as thousands of people attended the public meetings addressed by party chief Pawan Kalyan at three different places in the city limits on Thursday.
Those who turned up at the meetings cheered the actor-turned-politician as he spoke on various issues pertaining to the State, particularly the port city, targeting the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Modi government.
Taking a trip down memory lane, Mr. Pawan Kalyan recalled that his film career began in the city and now he has launched his political career from here. He introduced the party’s Assembly nominees at the public meetings and appealed to the electorate to choose new faces so that they could bring the desired change.
The JSP chief recalled as to how he had extended support to the TDP and the BJP expecting that they would implement the promises made to the people. He also reminded the gathering of his promise to stand by them, if these two parties failed to do justice to AP.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan recalled: “I was not flattered when Mr. Modi spoke high of me before the last elections. When I had sought Special Category Status (SCS), he said there were problems in its implementation.” Referring to the efforts to privatise the Vizag-headquartered mini-Ratna public sector company Dredging Corporation of India (DCI), he said the agitations were organised by the Left parties against it.
Charge against TDP
He alleged that the TDP leaders indulged in land grabbing in Visakhapatnam, and if the YSRCP was given power, they would grab the remaining government lands in the city. Describing former Joint Director of CBI V.V. Lakshminarayana, who was nominated by the party for the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat, as a ‘kothwal’, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he would safeguard the city from land grabbers and extortionists.
He spoke on the JSP plans for improving employment opportunities, provision of pensions to farmers and the poor, getting the Chittivalasa Jute Mill reopened and steps to check pollution in Visakhapatnam.
Youngsters surged ahead towards the stage to catch a glimpse of the actor-turned-politician from close quarters but were stopped by the para military forces.
