Andhra CM Naidu has put Telugu pride at stake by allying with Congress: Pawan Kalyan

Pawan added that it would not even be a surprise if TDP and YSRCP joined hands in the future.

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Actor-politician and Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan on Friday lashed out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s decision to meet with Congress President Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and dubbed the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief ‘shameless’.

Addressing a massive gathering at Tuni in East Godavari District, Pawan said that the pride of the Telugu people had been put at stake in Delhi and added that it would not even be a surprise if TDP and YSRCP joined hands in the future.

“Chandrababu Naidu only wants to be CM again but I only want change. Youth are struggling to get jobs, but this system has failed to identify their issues,” Pawan said.

“We worked with TDP in 2014. After becoming CM, Naidu asked me what I wanted. I just told him, my wish is that youngsters get jobs, law and order is maintained and good governance takes place, but what is happening now is sand mafia is rampant and so is corruption and the law and order has been disrupted in the state,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Pawan undertook a train journey from Vijayawada to Tuni in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district and called upon his followers to accompany him.

Speaking about allegations against him that he was supporting the BJP, Pawan said, “Why should I care about BJP or the Prime Minister. BJP is a party which supported state bifurcation. I was the person who opposed the BJP when the special package was granted when TDP supported it.”

“Did the CM not threaten the youth and ask them not to protest for special status? Did he not stop the people? My stand has always been the same,” he added.

Earlier this week, efforts to forge a broad unity among opposition parties to defeat the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections received a boost with Naidu meeting Rahul Gandhi and the two leaders stating that opposition forces will work together to "defend India, our institutions and democracy."

Naidu also had a joint meeting with Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah besides Samajwadi Party leader leader Akhilesh Yadav and his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Naidu, whose party quit the Modi government and the NDA earlier this year, said that he along with Gandhi wanted to forge a common platform "save nation, save democracy" for the opposition parties to defeat the BJP.

Naidu had visited the national capital last week and met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BSP leader Mayawati, Loktrantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha and CPI leaders D. Raja and S. Sudhakar Reddy apart from Abdullah.



IANS inputs