In a joint statement, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party president Konidela Pawan Kalyan on Sunday said they were united in their efforts to “save democracy in Andhra Pradesh’’ from the ruling Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government, and bring accountable governance. Pawan Kalyan met Naidu at his
Hyderabad residence and extended support to the TDP’s fight against the Jagan government, especially with regard to the banning of public meetings and roadshows, which both Naidu and Kalyan claim is aimed at them. In their joint statement, they also said, “Andhra Pradesh is now undergoing a worse situation than the Emergency.’’
Both leaders maintained that “saving democracy in AP” was their main objective, and the issue of a possible alliance (between the TDP and the Jana Sena) could come up later.
“The situation in AP right now is worse than the Emergency. We will work with all (opposition) forces to save democracy in AP. We will take the issue to the Centre’s notice as it has every right to intervene in such situations,” the two leaders said at the end of their two-hour-long meeting.
Naidu said attempts are being made to stifle the voices of the Opposition in the state. He announced that all the political parties along with people’s organisations will wage a combined war to save the democracy.
Referring to himself in the third person, he also said it is really surprising that a leader who has been representing the Kuppam Assembly segment for seven terms, is not allowed to visit his home constituency. “Is it not the duty of the police to provide security when meetings are being organised?” he asked.
”When I questioned the police, they failed to give a proper reply,” the TDP supremo said. Only if political leaders have the freedom to move can democracy be saved, he said.
Naidu and Pawan Kalyan also said that another target of the ban on public meetings and roadshows was N Lokesh Naidu, son of Chandrababu Naidu, who is embarking on a state-wide padayatra.
Pawan Kalyan found fault with the state government for creating obstacles to Chandrababu’s tour in Kuppam, his home constituency. The Jana Sena chief said he had called on Chandrababu to express his solidarity with him. He said both of them pondered over the prevailing situation in the state, particularly after the order banning public meetings was issued, and felt the state government is only trying to suppress the Opposition parties. ”The YSRCP government is acting in an atrocious manner and brought in a British era law to stifle the voices of Opposition parties.”
He also accused the state government of not honouring its own scheme of paying pension to eligible senior citizen beneficiaries, by paring the list at will to bring down expenditure. He also said the AP government has stopped giving MSP to farmers.
“The attitude that no one should question the YSRCP government is highly condemnable. All Opposition parties want to fight unitedly against such tendencies of this state government,” the Jana Sena chief said.
Despite the public imagery of its leader Pawan Kalyan, who cites Communist revolutionary Che Guevara as inspiration, the Jana Sena had aligned with the BJP during the 2014 General Elections, and was aligned with it later too. The party that represents the agriculturist Kapu caste of Andhra Pradesh, also tied up with the Left and the BSP for the 2019 General Elections. Since last year, he has been exploring alliance possibilities with Naidu and the TDP.