Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan paying tributes at the statue of Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu, in Amaravati on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri
Jana Sena Party (JSP) president and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday said Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and their party president Mallikarjun Kharge should give up politics of convenience and do necessary course corrections as they were running a national party.“If Mr. Rahul Gandhi can contest elections in Wayanad, which is not his home State, why should anyone who wishes to enter the electoral arena in other States be criticised and their attempts scuttled? The JSP leaders who intend to contest the 2028 elections in Telangana are all native of that State,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan observed.Addressing the media after paying tributes to Potti Sriramulu at the Amarajeevi Smriti Vanam at Sakhamuru, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said a fresh controversy would not have broken out on the Telangana statehood issue had the Telangana government granted permission to the meeting of the JSP on June 2.He suggested that the Congress’s top brass should be concerned about the performance of the party’s MPs and MLAs, and not forget that Andhra Pradesh was their source of strength, but ceased to be in the reckoning due to its mistakes.Mr. Pawan Kalyan said the differences he had with leaders like K.T. Rama Rao of the BRS was only policy based, but the JSP never opposed the bifurcation of the unified State.“Going by the Congress brand of politics, it seems to be stoking unwanted differences in the country, which is posing a threat to the integrity of the nation,” he alleged.Mr. Pawan Kalyan noted that Potti Sriramulu, whose supreme sacrifice facilitated the formation of Andhra State, never made any abusive comment on anyone during the struggle.“This is in sharp contrast to the conduct of contemporary leaders in Telangana. Unlike Potti Sriramulu, some of them are making highly objectionable comments on those speaking for Telangana as if only they have affection for that State and all others have vested interests, including political,” he observed.He expressed regret that Potti Sriramulu was being identified with the caste to which he belonged and sub-regionalism was unfortunately more profound in Andhra Pradesh than in Telangana, and it was laced with casteism, which peaked after the YSR Congress Party came to power in 2019.“Dr. B.R. Ambedkar desired the annihilation of caste, but I am not sure whether it will happen,” he said, while insisting all castes were inter-dependent.Asked to comment why the BJP reportedly downplayed the issue of denial of permission for the JSP meeting in Telangana, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said that question should be put to the BJP, while stating that parties would have their own sensitivities. Published - June 03, 2026 09:11 pm IST
