One who is supposed to protect law is violating it: JSP chief Pawan Kalyan

VISAKHAPATNAM: Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan on Friday hits out at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and said that the one who is supposed to protect the law is violating it.

In view of Kalyan's visit to Rushikonda, hundreds of police personnel were deployed at various locations. Barricades were arranged to prevent bike rallies, and supporters or fans from following the JSP chief’s convoy.

"A Chief Minister, who is supposed to protect the law, is violating it in Andhra Pradesh. CM Reddy has been blatantly violating environmental norms at the Rushikonda Hill here, by destroying it," he said.

Responding to a question from the media that the State government had claimed the constructions at Rushikonda as government buildings, Kalyan said, “What exactly is a government building? Is it Chief Minister’s house? How many houses does the CM want? He may have used the Circuit House as his house or camp office. Does he want a scenic view (referring to the beach view from Rushikonda)?” He said that people should understand that if they elect such people, all they do is exploit the government and private properties. "Every person in the State, especially from Uttarandhra, should know about the violations going on in Rushikonda. People should also understand that if they elect such people as political representatives, all they do is exploit the government and private properties,” he said.

"The Rushikonda Hill has been protecting several villages in this region from cyclones for many centuries. But they have destroyed it. The government claims there are minor violations at Rushikonda, but in reality, those are massive,” Kalyan added.

He said that the people of Telangana had disowned the Congress party, and now the same is happening here in the Uttarandhra region under the present government since the people of this region are peace-loving, and CM Reddy is taking advantage of this. Pawan Kalyan’s convoy was kept on hold by the police for some hours and later approved with many conditions. The police had asked the organizers to have only seven vehicles in Pawan Kalyan’s convoy. Citing traffic issues and public inconvenience, they prohibited bike rallies and stipulated that Kalyan should not come out of the vehicle or get onto its roof.

At Rushikonda, the police did not allow Kalyan into the construction area. They strictly told the JSP leaders to stay put on the opposite side of the road (from the constructions). Rope parties were mobilized to ensure that the JSP leaders and supporters did not cross the road.