Don't use cow meat to divert attention: Pawan

Tirupati: Training his guns on BJP, popular Telugu actor and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan on Saturday declared that he will fight to get special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a public meeting in this temple town, Pawan fired on all cylinders at the BJP for not fulfilling its word to grant special status.

Pawan, who had campaigned for Bharatiya Janata Party-Telugu Desam Party alliance in 2014 elections, did not spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his respect for Modi is not at the cost of self-respect of people of the state.

He even advised Modi and his party not to use the slogan of cow protection to diver the nation's attention from important issues.

"If you want cow protection, let each of your party worker adopt a cow but don't use cow and cow meat to divert the nation's attention from crucial issues," he told a huge gathering.

This was the first public meeting by Pawan in more than two years. He choose Tirupati for the event as it was here that Modi had addressed first election rally along with him and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and promised special status.

Pawan said he was speaking out after waiting for more than two years and denied that he was soft towards the BJP or TDP.

The actor said if the Congress divided the state in an unscientific manner, BJP was equally responsible. He recalled that it was BJP which gave slogan of one vote, two states in 1997 by passing a resolution at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.

The Jana Sena founder said he would launch the campaign for special status with a public meeting in the same town on September 9 and his party will explain to people how injustice was done to the state.

In the second phase, Jana Sena will pressurise the state government and MPs of all parties to raise their voice and get special status.

He said if nothing was done to meet their demand, the party will launch protest on streets.

Targeting TDP for failing to get special status, he asked why the MPs failed to bring Parliament to standstill on the issue.

In a speech laced with film style dialogues, he said he took many risks to enter politics. He told people that he supported BJP in the last elections as there was no other alternative.

He also revealed that BJP President Amit Shah invited him to join the BJP saying regional party will have no future. The actor said Jana Sena may be a regional party but it has national outlook and it stands for national integrity.

He took a dig at central minister Venkaiah Naidu, remarking: "You are committing a blunder by standing by your party at the cost of the state's interests."

"Hum Ladayenge. Hum ladayenge. Jeene tak hum ledayange (We will fight. We will fight. We will fight till we are alive)," he thundered emotionally, thumping on his chest. He also repeated the same in English, pointing out that the Modi government was not caring for Andhra people as they were talking in Telugu that he cannot understand.

He faulted the state MPs for being obedient instead of being assertive. "Congress MPs used to say madam, madam, now these MPs are saying sir, sir," he said, referring to the former addressing Congress President Sonia Gandhi and those now addressing Modi.