Vijayawada: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan has vowed to make Andhra Pradesh free from the influence of the ruling YSR Congress party in order to “fasten the pace of development” in the state.
Speaking to the media at his party office in Mangalagiri on Monday, PK said the Jana Sena had planned its Janavani programme in Visakhapatnam for Saturday and made arrangements accordingly much ahead of the announcement of the Visakha Garjana rally by the YSR Congress government.
Maintaining that parties must follow certain norms, the Jana Sena leader asked the YSR Congress leadership as to how it could dictate terms to JS that it should not speak up for Amaravati or against the development of three capitals. He criticised the dual stands of the YSR Congress leadership while it was in the opposition and after assuming power.
He alleged that as the YSR Congress party’s Visakha Garjana in favour of three capitals failed to get the expected response while the Jana Sena rally got a “huge” response.
“The YSR Congress government targeted our party leaders and activists and booked them.”
Referring to the attack on the convoy of vehicles of the ministers, the Jana Sena chief asked as to why the police failed to provide them protection. “Rather, they conspired to blame JS activists with mala fide intention to cause trouble.”
He said 14 JS supporters were booked under section 307 when they were involved in making arrangements for the party programme, while 105 persons were booked under other sections. “A woman with her two-year-old daughter was picked up from her home and sent to the jail while some more persons with no link to the airport incident were also booked on false charges.”
PK said 14 party leaders having no link with the airport incident were still in the jail while 54 persons were booked additionally on Monday. He learned that JS leaders were hit by jail officials while some of them were made to walk on their knees.
The party chief vowed to move the high court citing violation of fundamental rights of JS leaders and activists and asked as to how they were booked under section 307 when they only raised slogans. He thanked the court for issuing directions to change the section to 326.
Pawan Kalyan said he was no longer interested in taking up issues with the BJP top leadership as he wanted to get these resolved locally. “We know how to handle the issues and protect the Telugu land instead of reaching out to Delhi for help.”
In a related development, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and AP BJP chief Somu Veerraju addressed the media jointly in the city. PK alleged that his party leaders were implicated in false cases and that the government conspired in the Visakhapatnam airport incidents with a view to troubling JS men and averting the Janavani programme.
“The government wanted to avoid exposure of the YSR Congress leaders in the land deals,” he said.
Somu Veerraju said the state BJP has informed the top leadership of the party in New Delhi about the present developments and said his party would no longer tolerate such incidents.
