No Patriotism Lectures, KTR Tells PK

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao said on Wednesday that Telangana does not need to learn any lessons of patriotism from Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.

Rama Rao reacted strongly to the comments made by the Jana Sena leader at a press conference in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

“We need no lessons on patriotism from Pawan Kalyan. Struggles and sacrifices are not new to us,” he said.

KTR reminded Pawan Kalya that Telangana is less than three per cent of India but contributes five per cent of India’s GDP.

“We don’t need any kind of moral lectures or moral policing. We respect him as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. We admire him as an artist and as an actor. If he visits us as a brother, we will treat him with a Hyderabadi biryani, but if he attempts to assert his dominance in our politics, we will not stand for it. After all, we went through such immense struggle for 60 years to separate just recently in 2014,” he said.

The BRS leader was replying to queries during a meeting at Hyderabad Press Club.

Stating that no one is stopping Pawan Kalyan in Telangana, KTR reminded him that he and his family stay here, and they have their business here. He said no one stopped them during the last 12 years.

On Pawan Kalyan’s remark that ‘Telangana is not your father’s jagir (property)’, he said that Telangana is definitely the jagir of the sons of the soil of Telangana. “No one needs to have doubt about it,” said KTR.

On Pawan Kalyan’s remark that regionalism is more dangerous than terrorism, KTR asked what he would say about Potti Sriramulu, who laid down his life by fasting for 58 days to demand a Telugu state.

The BRS leader also asked Pawan Kalyan what he would say about Prime Minister Narendra Modi acting like the Prime Minister of Gujarat by taking away industries coming to Telangana.

On Pawan Kalyan’s announcement that Jana Sena will contest elections in Telangana, KTR said under the Indian Constitution, any citizen can establish a political party and contest elections from any state.

However, he said a leader contesting from a state should respect the aspirations of the people of that state, their struggles and sacrifices.

KTR said that there is nothing new in Jana Sena contesting elections in Telangana. “Didn’t you contest the 2023 Assembly elections. You also contested recent municipal elections,” he said.

The BRS leader said no one was stopping Pawan Kalyan from contesting elections.

“This is not a state which has come into existence just like that. It was formed after the sacrifice of thousands of people. That’s why when you come here you should think before you speak.”

KTR took strong exception to Pawan Kalyan’s remark that he did not like the manner in which Telangana was formed. “You say you did not like the way Telangana was created. Another one says the mother was killed to save the child. Why beat around the bush? Say clearly that you did not like the formation of the Telangana state,” he said.