Hyderabad, June 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Telangana sentiment is suddenly back at the centre stage of the state's politics with Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan's comments stirring a row, drawing widespread condemnation from political parties and Telangana activists.
The Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader's press conference in Hyderabad on Wednesday was intended to clear the air after his party was denied permission to hold a public meeting earlier in the day to mark Telangana Formation Day and the demand by a Telangana Minister to apologise for his previous comments allegedly insulting Telangana.
However, some of the remarks made the actor-politician appear to have added fuel to the fire.
Pawan Kalyan drew the ire of many with his reported remark that 'regionalism is worse than terrorism' and that "if the issue is not addressed, tomorrow they may refuse to sing 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jana Gana Mana'".
The actor-politician is also facing the backlash for his angry retort to his critics in Telangana that Telangana is not 'jagir (fiefdom) of their father'.
Barring BJP, an ally of Jana Sena, all the parties hit out at the Deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh for his comments.
Certain comments made by a few leaders in the past about Telangana had evoked strong reactions but this time the bitter war of words has generated more political heat.
It all started last month when Professor K. Nageshwar, a leading political analyst from Telangana, made certain remarks during a television debate while reacting to Pawan Kalyan's meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The analyst, also a former MLC, reportedly claimed that Pawan Kalyan during the meeting demanded arrest of YSR Congress Party leader and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and that Union Minister Shah described the BJP-TDP-JSP alliance in Andhra Pradesh as temporary while referring to Jagan Mohan Reddy as a "long-term friend".
After Jana Sena dismissed those claims and threatened legal action, Nageshwar withdrew his remarks.
However, on complaints by Jana Sena functionaries, Andhra Pradesh Police registered multiple FIRs against Nageshwar and others for allegedly promoting enmity, intentional insult, spreading false information likely to disturb public order, and criminal conspiracy.
Telangana leaders cutting across party lines, various organisations and journalists came out in support of Nageshwar amid reports that Andhra Pradesh Police may arrest him. They demanded that Andhra Pradesh Police withdraw the cases.
On Nageshwar's request, Telangana Police provided him security at his residence.
At a meeting of Telangana activists, civil rights activists, journalists and others held in Hyderabad to show solidarity, Nageshwar declared that he was not afraid of arrest.
Some of the speakers at the meeting bitterly criticised Pawan Kalyan and warned him that he would not be allowed to move around in Telangana.
The war of words escalated as Pawan Kalyan, while addressing a meeting of Jana Sena workers in Andhra Pradesh, declared that there is a limit to patience.
He also said that his silence should not be mistaken as his weakness.
The actor-politician warned that attempts to spread misleading narratives would not be ignored anymore.
It was in this context that Jana Sena planned to organise a meeting in Hyderabad on June 2 (Telangana Formation Day). It was to be addressed by Pawan Kalyan.
Jana Sena Party approached Cyberabad police for permission to hold the meeting at a convention centre in Gachibowli. The party informed police that 2,000 people will attend the meeting titled 'Telangana Nava Nirmana Sankalpa Sabha'.
The police rejected the request for permission, citing 'substantial threat' it poses to the law-and-order situation.
The police communicated to the Jana Sena following recent alleged remarks by K. Nageshwar on Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister's meeting with Union Home Minister and subsequent registration of criminal cases against Nageshwar in Andhra Pradesh led to escalating tensions and animosities generated across Telangana.
The recent public utterances made by certain political leaders from Andhra Pradesh, including Jana Sena, with respect to the matter involving Nageshwar, have deeply hurt the sentiments of the people of Telangana, triggering widespread backlash, counter-protests, and strong opposition from various student bodies and activist groups in the state.
Though Jana Sena approached Telangana High Court by filing House Motion petition, it did not get any relief.
A few hours before police denied permission for the meeting, Telangana's Minister for Transport and Backward Classes Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar demanded Pawan Kalyan to apologise to people of Telangana for his 'evil eye' remark before organising a public meeting here.
The Minister said that the actor-politician should first apologise for what he called hurting Telangana's self-respect.
The Congress leader also accused him of trying to push BJP's agenda in Telangana.
Ponnam Prabhakar recalled the reported remark of Pawan Kalyan that if the people of Telangana cast an eye, the coconut trees of Konaseema will wither away.
He also claimed that Pawan Kalyan had once stated that if Telangana state is formed, he would stop eating for 11 days.
In December last year, Telangana's Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had warned that Pawan Kalyan's movies will not be allowed to be released in theatres in Telangana if he fails to apologise over his "insulting" remarks about Telangana.
Pawan Kalyan had reportedly blamed the "evil eye" for "dying" coconut trees in the development of the Konaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, known for lush green fields.
After the police denied permission for the meeting, Pawan Kalyan, through a post on X on the morning of June 2, announced that he will hold a press conference at his Jubilee Hills residence in Hyderabad.
As large number of Jana Sena workers and supporters had gathered outside his house to hear their leader and police tried to erect barricades and impose traffic restriction, this triggered a tense situation.
However, some of the comments made by Pawan Kalyan have further angered his critics in Telangana.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao said that Telangana need no lessons of patriotism from Pawan Kalyan.
"We respect him as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. We admire him as an artist and as an actor. If he visits us as a brother, we will treat him with a Hyderabadi biryani but if he attempts to assert his dominance in our politics, we will not stand for it. After all, we went through such immense struggle for 60 years to separate just recently in 2014," he added.
On Pawan Kalyan's remark that 'Telangana is not your father's jagir', he said that Telangana is definitely jagir of the sons of soil of Telangana.
On Pawan Kalyan's announcement that Jana Sena will contest elections in Telangana, KTR said under the Indian Constitution any citizen can establish a political party and contest elections from any state.
However, he said a leader contesting from a state should respect the aspirations of the people of that state, their struggles and sacrifices.
Source: IANS
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