"Will continue battle to remove YSRCP from Andhra": JSP chief Pawan Kalyan

VISAKHAPATNAM: Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan slammed Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) during the third phase of Varahi Yatra in Visakhapatnam on Thursday and said that he will continue his battle untill YSRCP leaves Andhra Pradesh. Actor turned politician and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan started the third phase of Varahi Yatra on Thursday evening in Visakhapatnam.

During his visit to Visakhapatnam, former minister and TDP leader Padala Aruna and his family joined the Jana Sena party. Addressing a public meeting at the Jagadamba Junction on Thursday evening, Kalyan said that he was pained to note that while the statues of those who sacrificed their lives like Potti Sriramulu for formation of Andhra Pradesh were not found anywhere and those political leaders who looted the state were present everywhere.

He also claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had told him that Visakhapatnam had become a place for land mafia, illegal mining, and ganja smuggling and said the day would come when he would ensure that the Centre dismiss the JaganMohan Reddy-led governement from the state.

Stating that he had no hatred towards village volunteers’ system, Pawan Kalyan said CM Jagan was misusing their services for electoral benefits. He said that he had no intention of punching the stomachs of the volunteers and that he was testifying as Simhadri Appanna.

He alleged that CM Jagan was making mistakes by giving them Rs 5 thousand and collecting people's Aadhaar, bank details and other personal details and sending them to Nanak Ramguda office in Hyderabad.

He said that in the past, mistakes were made with IAS and IPS and they were sent to jails, but now they are making mistakes with volunteers. Pawan Kalyan gave examples of theft and fraud allegations against volunteers recently. JSP chief also expressed concern at the alarming fall in standards at the Andhra University which he alleged had become an office of the ruling YSRCP.

“The ranking of Andhra University at the national level has fallen from 29 to 76 in five years. The Vice-Chancellor has made the campus as YSRCP office. I will complain to the union Ministry of Human Resources Development about this,” he warned. The ongoing Varahi Yatra by the actor-turned-politician will continue in the Visakhapatnam district till August 19. However, the march will be suspended for a day on August 15 — Independence Day — as the Kalyan is scheduled to visit the party's Mangalagiri office.