Pawan Kalyan's Vizag tour hits hurdles, 100 Jana Sena supporters arrested
He said Jana Vani has been postponed following the arrest of his supporters.
By Sri Lakshmi Muttevi Published on 16 Oct 2022 8:27 AM GMT
Visakhapatnam: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan visited Visakhapatnam on Saturday for the three-day Uttarandhra tour. During his visit, about 100 Jana Sena Party (JSP) supporters were arrested and cases were filed against 14 members who asked for permission for Jana Vani programme. Reacting to the incident, Pawan Kalyan held a press meeting at Hotel Novotel on Sunday. He said Jana Vani has been postponed following the arrest of his supporters.
Speaking to the media, Pawan Kalyan said, "We are not taking up programmes against the ruling government. My Uttarandhra tour was planned three months ago, which is before the Visakha Garjana. This tour is not about decentralisation."
According to Pawan Kalyan, the aim of Jana Vani programme is to attend to the grievances of the public and submit them to the government. But the Andhra Pradesh police, during Saturday's rally, imposed restrictions. The government's main aim is to stop the Jana Vani programme, the JSP chief said. "We have conducted four Jana Vani programmes, and we received thousands of petitions. There were no issues with the police in any district. Why are the police in Visakhapatnam restricting us? Why will the YSRCP leaders decide our party tours and which city to visit?" asked Pawan Kalyan.
He asked why the police banged on the doors of their rooms at midnight and arrested people who are in no way related to the rally. "We have weapons to take revenge or provoke the public, but we don't do that. We will stay patient, for now. We will fight in the coming elections," said Pawan Kalyan.
He added, "My father worked as a constable, so I respect the police department. I have visited Vizag many times, but I was never stopped by the police. We are being harassed. I was getting messages saying I will be arrested at 4 a.m. Why should you arrest us? People who cultivate ganja are not arrested but Jana Sena supporters are taken into custody for no reason."
Criticising Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Pawan Kalyan said, "There are 6.3 lakh unemployed youth in the state. Only because of one person, several companies and industries took a step back. Decentralisation of power is giving priority to every district. These ministers are just for name sake."
He added, "The government should implement programmes and not protest by conducting Visakha Garjana."
