Pawan out to cash in on Special sentiment

Politics is really the downstream of culture, it is said. Equally true is this one: Culture is the downstream of politics. Both culture and politics depend on the narratives. But when it is the culture that one would like to look at from the political narrative and if the narrative forced to change, it looks whimsical at first. Then it turns out to be quizzical only to confuse the listener further, if one thinks that it is intended to reach that person.

Pawan Kalyan's was a reaction to the downstream from TDP leaders power. It is a kind of dissident movement to their power. Pawan perceives that the life and politics of an elite TDP leader is to control the non-TDP population of Andhra Pradesh through cultural, political, psychological and financial means.

Generally, the TDP leadership should adopt to this response of the non-TDP leaders. It is not wise politics to decry or denounce the perceived attack outright. Shrewd politicians press the pause button before assessing all the factors that go into such attacks before responding.

More so, when the attack comes from someone like Pawan Kalyan who shared the dais with the TDP and its national ally, the BJP in 2014 electoral campaign to defeat the surging YSRCP. When the results were announced, the TDP just scraped through with a total difference of 4.5 lakh votes out of the polled votes. It was that close. The mood of the electorate, till the very last moment, was in favour of the YSRCP, survey of media houses revealed.

The victory of TDP at the hustings was attributed to Narendra Modi and Pawan Kalyan. It was a brilliant tactic adopted by the TDP, N Chandrababu Naidu, who did not mind reaching out to Pawan Kalyan by going to his place in Hyderabad to clinch the pre-electoral bonding.

That is history and it does not matter what the TDP leadership thinks of it now. In the run-up to the 2019, the chickens are coming home to roost. Pawan Kalyan has always nurtured political ambitions. He also has witnessed the rise and fall of 'Praja Rajyam' from close quarters though his role was questionable in it.

With his fan base intact, Pawan Kalyan went ahead and launched his own political party Jana Sena in 2014 but chose to campaign for the TDP-BJP combine impressed by the 'experience of Naidu and charisma of Modi'.

But, Pawan Kalyan had always reiterated that his party would be the voice of the people and will be giving a voice to the voiceless. Though he held some public meetings in between, he did not sound convincing to anyone, because he chose not to criticise the ruling party on anything.

Be it the farmers of the Godavari districts facing the aqua industry onslaught or the people of 'Uddanam' whose renal cases or the farmers of the Capital region who had given up their lands, every segment was left wondering with his reticent attitude in taking on the Government. His occasional barbs had always been brushed aside by the TDP leaders who treated his observations as bland banter.

Pawan Kalyan has always felt that his 'informed advise' would be considered seriously by the Government. Rather, he felt he was important and hence would be heard by the powers that be. In the process, he took on the BJP leadership and the YSRCP in the past and the TDP was always delighted.

However, even Pawan Kalyan has now realized that the Special Category Status has really caught up the imagination of the people and he could not remain silent any longer. He also should have known that taking on the YSRCP which, from the very beginning harping on the Status, would be construed a biased view once again.

The BJP is anyway being riled by one and all and is being equated with the Congress for its "betrayal', attacking the Centre or Modi would not have given him any additional mileage. He, at best, would have been seen once again as a pro-TDP politician. Because that is what the TDP has been doing of late and Pawan Kalyan's voice would only have strengthened their effort to usurp the pro-Status space. For anyone who heard the TDP leaders on the subject, it is known that Status was never really their priority.

It had topped their political chart now only because of the YSRCP onslaught and challenge. So, any attack on Modi alone would have made Pawan Kalyan just an appendage to TDP politics. Pawan Kalyan had to come out of this stereotype. Hence, he chose carefully not to repeat this folly and preferred to look daggers at the TDP leadership.

He also chose to raise the relevant points - silence of the TDP for four years on Status issue, corruption, Uddanam, Capital farmers and above all, sand mining. The last one has the potential to become much talked about subject ahead of elections. The river beds are losing their bottoms to the greed of the politicians and corrupt bureaucracy. It will also have a disastrous implication for the State. Attacks by political leaders on sincere officials is yet another hot topic that would have its ramifications if contextualized properly.

Pawan Kalyan's yet another barb that only 'two castes' controlling power and positions in the State was also calculated. There is a general feeling among the people of AP that only those who fall under the category of 'our own' will be entertained and their work would be done. Chandrababu Naidu could not, perhaps, look at the issue being immersed in the most challenging task of his life - of completing Polavaram and building the capital.

There is also an ace that Pawan Kalyan served at the meeting the other day. Whether he did so deliberately and conscientiously is not known. The attack on Nara Lokesh may be brushed aside as a wild allegation. Yet, repeat it often, someone close to him might get linked to it and blight the party's image if not because of Lokesh himself. Perceptions do matter and sand mafias' and land mafias will not help do the clean-up job.

The YSRCP, in its blind rage, has always targeted Naidu and leveled serious allegations against them ignoring the clean image of the Chief Minister. The world is not yet ready to call Naidu corrupt by any yardstick and still, the YSRCP keeps whining that everyone ignores its allegations.

Coming to the journey from here, Pawan Kalyan, will be carefully moving ahead. There is an effort by some well-wishers of his in all parties to ensure that the Opposition space vis-a-vis TDP is not split. If it is not possible, those advisors would like to ensure that it is three-way contest. Either way, it would be detrimental to the interests of Naidu whose primary target is to ensure his son's political future at this crucial juncture. The more Naidu defends his corrupt leaders, the more would be his discomfort because Pawan Kalyan would always be lurking around to link Lokesh with those.

Low victory margins of 2014 make it challenging for the TDP to take on both the YSRCP and the Jana Sena manoeuvres henceforth simultaneously. Castigating his rivals as Modi's men may be easier said for Chandrababu whose discomfiture over PK's challenge is already evident. Some tightrope walk for the adept Naidu hereafter!