Jagan renamed Konaseema to harmony among locals, says Pawan

MANDAPETA (KONASEEMA)

Jana Sena Party president K. Pawan Kalyan on Saturday lamented that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's motive behind renaming Konaseema district as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district was to disturb the harmony among the local communities to derive political mileage.

Addressing a public meeting here on Saturday, Mr. Pawan said the manner in which Konaseema district was renamed gave rise to a suspicion that it was intended to drive a wedge among various castes. He was in Konaseema district on Saturday as part of Koulu Rythu Bharosa Yatra to offer financial aid to the families of tenant farmers who ended their lives due to agrarian distress since 2019.

"The Jana Sena Party will draw inspiration from the ideology and services of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. We never attempt to use their names and figures for political benefit like the YSR Congress Party", said Mr. Pawan.

“Our party is proposing a resolution, titled Mandapeta resolution, which is to not associate the party activities with any caste, section and religion,” Mr. Pawan said. He said that Godavari region was socially active and a change should begin from this region by voting the Jana Sena Party to power.

“By next October, the party will come up with a new manifesto in the run up to the next Assembly election. I have committed not to merge the party irrespective of the results and it will be alive forever,” said Mr. Pawan.

"The State has seen 3,000 farmer suicides (since 2019). Lack of institutional support is the main factor that pushed the tenant farmers to end their lives. The State government is still not able to release the promised ex-gratia to the eligible families", said Mr. Pawan.

He distributed ex-gratia of ₹1 lakh each to 53 families of tenant farmers who ended lives in the erstwhile East Godavari district. Mr. Pawan and his party's political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar consoled some families on the occasion.