Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi Working President KT Rama Rao said his father and former chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) will take care of the state, claiming that the BRS chief is the “real OG of Telangana,” when asked about Pawan Kalyan’s remarks during a press meeting in Somajiguda on Wednesday, June 3.
The Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister on Tuesday, June 2, while opposing the objections raised by some Telangana Congress leaders over a proposed Jana Sena party meet in Hyderabad, claimed that a few leaders were behaving like “separatists.” While Jana Sena respects regional sentiments, it would resist if regionalism hurts nationalism, he said, adding that his party would contest the next assembly elections in Telangana in 2028.
Responding to the comments, KTR said Telangana rightfully belongs to its people who fought, sacrificed, and shed blood for the state’s formation.
Telangana belongs to those who fought, sacrificed, shed blood for it
“He (Pawan Kalyan) should remember that this is the land of the sons of Telangana and that land is soaked with the blood of those who fought, worked hard, and made sacrifices for it,” he said. “It is the land of its four crore people and those who dedicated their lives to the statehood movement.”
KTR claimed that although the two states were divided, the people of Telangana wanted to be “together.”
“But Pawan Kalyan brought up regionalism. Regionalism is more dangerous than terrorism,” he said. Recalling the 58-day hunger strike undertaken by Potti Sriramulu in 1952, to secure a separate state for Telugu-speaking people, the BRS working president questioned whether it also accounted for regionalism.
Rather, Modi was participating in “economic regionalism” by acting as the Prime Minister of Gujarat alone, KTR said. “We don’t need any moral lectures or moral policing from those Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Ministers.”
“This is the land where people fought against the Nizam government back then. This is the land where the communists moved. So struggles are not new to us, wars are not new to us, and sacrifices are not new to us,” he said, adding that Telangana practices strong nationalism and respect towards other regions.
‘Respect Pawan Kalyan as Dy CM, actor. But will not let him dominate’
“We respect Pawan as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. As an artist, as an actor, I admire him. When he comes home, we will serve Hyderabadi biryani as a brother,” KTR said. “But, we will not accept that he will come and sit in our secretariat and dominate.”
According to the BRS working president, although Pawan Kalyan’s film “OG” was released recently, Telangana has the real OG, KCR. “He is enough for us. He will protect Telangana,” he said.
He reiterated that any political party is free to contest elections in Telangana. “But, in whichever region you want to contest, you should know the aspirations of that region, the conditions of that region, the people of that region, their sentiments, their struggles, their sacrifices, and you should have admiration for them.”
He stated that Pawan Kalyan contesting in Telangana is not new, and just as no one blocked Pawan from contesting in 2023, no one will stop him now. “But he should know that Telangana was not formed easily.” It emerged after decades of struggle and thousands of sacrifices, KTR said. He urged leaders to be mindful of the state’s history and sentiments while speaking on Telangana-related issues.
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