Chintamaneni dares Pawan for poll duel

Vijayawada: Denduluru MLA and the Government Whip Chintamaneni Prabhakar on Thursday dared Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan to contest against him in Denduluru Assembly constituency in the ensuing elections.

He reacted strongly to the allegations levelled by Pawan Kalyan in Denduluru on Thursday that 37 cases were booked against Prabhakar. Pawan Kalyan toured Denduluru Assembly constituencies and made serious charges against the MLA.

The Denduluru MLA at a hurriedly convened a press conference here strongly condemned the harsh comments made by Pawan Kalyan over several criminal cases against him at various police stations. Prabhakar made it clear only three cases were pending against him. He admitted that some cases were booked against him but were not proved.

“If you win the election in Denduluru I wholeheartedly join your victory celebrations," he challenged the Jana Sena chief. He asked whether Pawan Kalyan would quit politics if he was defeated in the elections.The MLA castigated Pawan, saying he was ignorant of the difference between the Chief whip and the Whip. Pawan Kalyan had referred to him as the Chief Whip.

He observed that Pawan Kalyan being a state-level leader and having closely moved with leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu should not have resorted to baseless allegations against other leaders. "I have never asked any court to strike down the cases booked against me," he reminded.

Chintamaneni was at a loss why Pawan Kalyan was targeting him. He maintained that he was neither a land grabber nor a murderer. He claimed that he developed Denduluru Assembly constituency with Rs 1,300 crore funds.

He further said, "I am the role model in the constituency and people knew very well about me and my personal life." Referring to the comments like Rowdyism against him by Pawan Kalyan, the TDP MLA said, “I, too, can speak about Pawan Kalyan’s personal life but I won’t do it."