“Kurnool people came out to protest when I said that Amaravati must remain as the capital city but they did not show any anger over the rape and murder of girl student,” said Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan.
He held a meeting with Kurnool and Yemmiganur constituency party activists on Friday night in Hyderabad. He told them that Kurnool would not develop just by setting up of a high court. “There is a dire need to create a plan to increase employment,” he said.
Talking about Rayalaseema, Mr. Kalyan said that the region has been caught in the clutches of a few families and groups. “Irrespective of which party comes to power, the fortunes of people do not change, only the leaders change,” he said.
“So far six chief ministers have come from Rayalaseema but none of them was successful in providing jobs for youth,” he added.
Commenting on the electoral performance of the party, the JSP chief said that he was not able to convert fans into votes. “While there are five ‘Janasainiks’ in every ward, there are 500 fans. Fans couldn’t turn into ‘Janasainiks’ as there was a lack of strong local leadership,” he said.
CAA and NRC
Addressing concerns about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Mr. Kalyan said, “Why would I get into an alliance with BJP if CAA and NRC will hurt Muslims?”
He later asked, “If Congress and YSRCP are secular parties, why haven’t the lives of Muslims in Rayalaseema improved?” If any religion were to face inconvenience, he would be the first person to raise his voice, he said.
