Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena party has issued a set of guidelines to party activists on how to engage with people during debates and has warned the cadre against abusing the opposition or anyone else.
Listing out five main points, the JSP asks its activists to address people respectfully.
"Do not engage in personal abuses during the debates, even when provoked," one guideline reads.
"Do not harshly criticise Kapu or other BC community leaders. Instead, tell them not to fall into the trap of the TDP (Telugu Desam Party), which is adept at segregating the downtrodden and marginalised communities to retain power," another point states.
Pawan Kalyan, a Kapu himself, is widely believed to have massive support within the community.
The guidelines were issued after Pawan reportedly told his party members that they shouldn't indulge in verbal duels with the TDP, which he believes, will try to lure JSP leaders into heated arguments.
As Jana Sena prepares to scale up its operations and play a more prominent role in the 2019 elections, party leaders want to ensure that basic decorum is maintained and the cadre don’t indulge in mudslinging.
"Let the counter-attack come from a place of deep commitment, which wishes for the well-being of society. Every word should be weighed and measured in tandem with the JSP's seven ideals," the guidelines conclude.
The seven ideals of the JSP include social consciousness that unites all castes, politics without religious discrimination, traditions that revere linguistic differences, a society that protects customs and culture, nationalism that does not neglect regional diversity and uncompromising battle against corruption.
#JanaSenaParty instructs party members to refrain from indulging in personal and verbal attacks and to avoid getting provoked during debates. A guideline has been issued for the members in this regard. @PawanKalyan pic.twitter.com/KNqoZcbF17
— dinesh akula (@dineshakula) March 23, 2018
In January this year, eggs were hurled at Telugu film critic Kathi Mahesh, allegedly by self-proclaimed fans of Pawan, following which the actor-politician asked his cadre to restrain themselves.
Asking fans not to react to attempts made by certain people to stop the party’s ascent, Pawan said that a knee-jerk reaction to criticism would harm the interests of the party.
He also highlighted that the party considered the people’s welfare as its ultimate agenda and believed in politics that was devoid of caste, religion and region.
The response came after months of escalating tensions between Kathi Mahesh and self-proclaimed fans of Pawan Kalyan.
Pawan had campaigned for the TDP-BJP alliance in the 2014 election, but distanced himself from both the parties last year.
Pawan, who himself plans to contest from Andhra Pradesh, chose Kodangattu in Telangana to launch his political campaign. The party plans to contest several seats in both the Telugu states.