Telangana identity and regional pride have once again become a flashpoint in the politics of both Telugu states, after Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan's recent remarks claiming that regionalism was dangerous, comparing it to ‘terrorism’. He also said that the state was not anyone's "jagir", or inherited fiefdom.
Pawan Kalyan made the remarks at a press meet at his residence in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, in response to the Cyberabad police denying his party the permission to conduct a meeting on June 2, Telangana’s formation day. The police had said there could be a threat to law and order from the meeting, particularly in light of a recent controversy involving Jana Sena Party and Hyderabad-based political analyst K Nageshwar.
The police said that recent public statements by certain political leaders from Andhra Pradesh, including Jana Sena, on the matter involving Prof Nageshwar had hurt the sentiments of the people of Telangana, triggering backlash, counter-protests, and opposition from student bodies and activist groups.
Nageshwar was booked by the Andhra Pradesh police and faced attacks from Jana Sena workers for his remarks on a purported meeting between Pawan Kalyan and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Many activists, journalists, political leaders and student groups in Telangana expressed solidarity with Nageshwar over the issue.
In this context, Pawan Kalyan asked at the press meet on June 2 if people need passports to travel to other states within the country, referring to permission for the public meeting being denied. “We respect regionalism. But if you weaken nationalism in the name of regionalism, Jana Sena will never accept that. This can affect the nation’s stability. If you bring in regionalism each time – people of Andhra, Telangana, Marathas, Tamils etc. – India’s internal security will be impacted. This is more dangerous than terrorism,” he said.
Pawan Kalyan’s remarks have now triggered a political storm, drawing criticism from parties across Telangana and prompting a wider debate on regional sentiment, free speech and political expansion.
The press conference was seemingly intended to clarify his position and respond to criticism after his party was denied permission to hold the public meeting, and amid demands by a Telangana Minister that he apologise for his past comments allegedly insulting Telangana. However, several of Pawan Kalyan's remarks further inflamed tensions.
The actor-politician came under fire for stating that "regionalism is worse than terrorism" and warning that if the issue remained unaddressed, people might one day refuse to sing the national anthem and Vande Mataram. He also angered critics with a sharp response to those opposing him in Telangana, saying the state was not anyone's "jagir", or inherited fiefdom.
With the exception of the BJP, Jana Sena's ally, political parties across Telangana condemned the comments.
KTR, Naidu react to Pawan Kalyan’s remarks
KTR said Telangana respected Pawan Kalyan as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and admired him as an actor. He remarked that he would be welcomed as a brother and treated with Hyderabadi biryani if he visited in goodwill, but warned that attempts to dominate Telangana's politics would not be accepted. He pointed out that the people of Telangana had endured a six-decade struggle before achieving statehood in 2014.
Responding to Pawan Kalyan's "jagir" remark, KTR said Telangana belonged to its sons of the soil. On Jana Sena's announcement that it intended to contest elections in Telangana, he acknowledged that the Constitution allowed any citizen to establish a political party and contest elections in any state. However, he argued that political leaders seeking support in Telangana must respect the aspirations, sacrifices and struggles of its people.
“We don’t need lessons on patriotism from Pawan Kalyan. We contribute to India. We don’t need any moral lectures,” KTR said.
Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar too condemned Pawan Kalyan’s remarks, questioning the choice to hold his meeting on Telangana Formation Day, and calling it an insult to the martyrs of the Telangana statehood movement.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu came to the defence of his deputy and coalition partner. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Naidu criticised the denial of permission for the Jana Sena meeting, arguing that democratic principles entitled political leaders to hold meetings anywhere in the country.
The Telugu Desam Party president also criticised remarks directed at Pawan Kalyan in Telangana, saying such comments did not reflect a constructive approach. He argued that unnecessary tensions were being created through provocative statements.
Naidu noted that twelve years had passed since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and said there was no justification for reviving animosity between the two states. According to him, people were well aware of which leaders had contributed to which regions, and some politicians in Telangana were raising issues that lacked relevance.
Drawing comparisons with election campaigns elsewhere, he pointed out that leaders from across India frequently campaigned in other states. He cited his own campaigning in Tamil Nadu and noted that leaders from Karnataka and national parties had also participated in election campaigns there.
The Chief Minister also referred to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi's earlier efforts to expand beyond Telangana. He observed that the party had declared itself a national party and had even attempted to establish a presence in Andhra Pradesh, making current objections to Jana Sena's activities in Telangana difficult to understand.
Naidu further argued that Telugu-speaking people were occupying constitutional and public offices in countries such as the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. He said leadership should be measured through development and public service rather than efforts to divide people.
"The competition should be in development and public service," he said, adding that political rivalry should focus on delivering better governance rather than creating divisions among citizens.
Ongoing controversies
The dispute began last month by political analyst and former MLC Professor K Nageshwar during a television debate. Commenting on Pawan Kalyan's meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Nageshwar reportedly alleged that the Jana Sena leader had sought the arrest of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. He further claimed that Amit Shah had described the BJP-TDP-JSP alliance in Andhra Pradesh as temporary while referring to Jagan as a long-term friend.
Jana Sena strongly denied the allegations and threatened legal action. Nageshwar subsequently withdrew his remarks. However, complaints filed by Jana Sena functionaries led Andhra Pradesh Police to register multiple FIRs against Nageshwar and others on charges including promoting enmity, intentional insult, spreading false information likely to disturb public order, and criminal conspiracy.
The cases prompted a strong response in Telangana. Political leaders across party lines, journalists, activists and civil society groups rallied behind Nageshwar amid reports that Andhra Pradesh Police might arrest him. They demanded that the cases be withdrawn. Following a request from Nageshwar, Telangana Police provided security at his residence.
At a solidarity meeting attended by Telangana activists, civil rights campaigners and journalists in Hyderabad, Nageshwar declared that he was not afraid of arrest. Several speakers at the gathering launched strong attacks on Pawan Kalyan and warned that he would not be allowed to move freely in Telangana.
The exchange escalated further when Pawan Kalyan addressed Jana Sena workers in Andhra Pradesh and asserted that there was a limit to his patience. He said his silence should not be interpreted as weakness and warned that attempts to spread what he described as misleading narratives would no longer be tolerated.
Against this backdrop, Jana Sena announced plans to organise the "Telangana Nava Nirmana Sankalpa Sabha" in Hyderabad on June 2, coinciding with Telangana Formation Day. The party sought permission from Cyberabad Police to hold the meeting at a convention centre in Gachibowli, informing authorities that around 2,000 people were expected to attend and that Pawan Kalyan would address the gathering.
Cyberabad Police rejected the request, citing a substantial threat to law and order. In its communication to the party, the police referred to the tensions generated by the Nageshwar controversy and the criminal cases registered against him in Andhra Pradesh. Authorities noted that public statements made by political leaders from Andhra Pradesh, including those from Jana Sena, had deeply hurt the sentiments of many people in Telangana, leading to backlash, counter-protests and opposition from student groups and activist organisations.
Jana Sena subsequently approached the Telangana High Court through a House Motion petition seeking permission for the event. However, the party failed to secure relief from the court.
The denial of permission came after Telangana Transport and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar publicly demanded that Pawan Kalyan apologise to the people of Telangana before organising any public meeting in the state. The Congress leader accused him of hurting Telangana's self-respect and attempting to advance the BJP's political agenda in the state.
Ponnam Prabhakar referred to an earlier remark attributed to Pawan Kalyan in which he allegedly said that if people from Telangana cast an "evil eye", the coconut trees of Andhra Pradesh's Konaseema region would wither away. The minister also claimed that Pawan Kalyan had once stated that he would stop eating for 11 days if Telangana were granted statehood.
The "evil eye" comment has remained a point of contention for several years. Pawan Kalyan had allegedly attributed the decline of coconut trees in parts of Konaseema, a region known for its coconut groves and agricultural wealth, to the evil eye.
The issue had resurfaced even before the latest controversy. In December last year, Telangana Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy warned that Pawan Kalyan's films would not be allowed to release in theatres across Telangana unless he apologised for what he described as insulting remarks against the state.
Following the denial of permission for the June 2 meeting, Pawan Kalyan announced through a post on X that he would instead address the media from his residence in Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills. A large number of Jana Sena workers and supporters gathered outside his home, leading to a tense situation as police erected barricades and imposed traffic restrictions in the area.
However, rather than easing tensions, several comments made during the press conference drew fresh criticism.
Among the strongest responses came from Bharat Rashtra Samithi Working President KT Rama Rao, who said Telangana did not require lessons in patriotism from Pawan Kalyan.
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