HYDERABAD: Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan today threatened to stage a dharna if the TDP-led Andhra Pradesh government decides to go ahead with “forcible” land acquisition for construction of the state’s capital.
Coming down heavily on the state government’s decision to acquire farm land to build the new capital city, Pawan Kalyan wondered how the Naidu government could bulldoze farmers when the TDP had opposed land acquisition for Vanpic port by the earlier YSR government. “If acquisition of land for Vanpic is illegal, acquisition for capital city is equally illegal,” he declared.
In a rare utterance on his strained ties with brother Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan said he was compelled to move away from Chiranjeevi because that the latter’s party Congress had “ridiculously” divided the state. “I did not come here either to fight with TDP or chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. I still have faith in Naidu that he will not do injustice to farmers. This doesn’t mean that I will be a slave of the TDP forever,” he said.
The actor, who floated the Jana Sena party just before the general elections last year, did not contest the polls himself, but had supported the TDP-BJP combine.
Addressing the farmers, Pawan Kalyan assured them of his full support. “I believe Chandrababu Naidu will not go ahead with the forcible acquisition. He is a wise administrator. I am appealing to him from this forum to immediately withdraw the process of land acquisition,” he said, adding: “Take the land from the willing farmers. Make law more farmer-friendly to attract them to give up the land. But, don’t touch the land of farmers, who are unwilling to give up.”
Referring to TDP MP Muralimohan approaching the court when his real estate firm’s land was acquired by the YSR government for laying the Hyderabad Outer Ring Road a decade ago, Pawan Kalyan asked TDP what is wrong if small farmers attempt to protect their land from acquisition.
“If a rich person like Muralimohan himself feels so painful over losing land, why don’t these leaders understand the quantum of pain being felt by small and marginal farmers?” he asked, pledging that he would not allow forcible acquisition of land from any farmer in the area.
