Alliance between parties key for ousting Jaganmohan Reddy, says JSP chief Pawan Kalyan
The Hindu
Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief K. Pawan Kalyan has opined that a reprisal of the 2014 alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), JSP, and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) would be essential for presenting an electoral challenge to Jagan Mohan Reddy, the incumbent Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and his party, the YSR Congress.
Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief K. Pawan Kalyan has opined that a reprisal of the 2014 alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Jana Sena Party (JSP), and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) would be essential for presenting an electoral challenge to Jagan Mohan Reddy, the incumbent Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and his party, the YSR Congress.
In an exclusive chat with The Hindu, Mr. Pawan said his goal was to see Mr. Reddy removed from power, adding that the matter of alliance-formation would have to be dealt with by the top leaders of the BJP and TDP.
Admitting that there might be differences of opinion, Mr. Pawan said such issues could be ironed out for “a larger good”. “Differences are bound to crop up, as at times ideologies do not match even between alliance partners. Even I am vocal about certain things and have clearly voiced them to the BJP top leadership, be it for Special Category Status for AP or the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Both Mr. Modi and Mr. Amit Shah have always given me a patient hearing and I am sure some solution will come out in the future, he said.
Adding to the alliance formulae, he said, “It all depends on how the top leadership of all the three parties view it. If they feel that they should stay out of it, it might aid YSR Congress for another five-year term, which would take the State backwards by another five years, or align to throw him [Jagan] out for the betterment of the State.”
According to Mr. Pawan, there is rampant corruption in the State, playing out through the mining mafia or liquor sales.
“The basic idea of three capitals is to see that the land prices in Visakhapatnam and Kurnool go up,” he alleged, claiming that the ruling party had grabbed enormous amounts of land. “In the outskirts of Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli district, the ruling party has acquired over 30,000 acres of land and they have jacked up the prices. Similarly, crores of rupees through sand and gravel mining and liquor sales, which is done only through cash transactions, do not reach the State’s exchequer,” he alleged.
Asserting that he had launched a political party in order to bring about a difference in the lives of people, Mr. Pawan said: “Corruption has ruined the State and it is already debt-ridden. It is because of this that I had launched a political party and winning or losing is not important for me. My goal is to see that the common and poor people are not marginalised and I will stand by them. Acquiring a political post is only a by-product. I have no hunger for posts. If that be the case, I was offered a Rajya Sabha membership, which was refused. I am here to stay and JSP is not a political party; it is an institution.”.