Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday, October 18, had an hour-long interaction with Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief and actor Pawan Kalyan. The meeting of the former allies after more than four years happened against the backdrop of police action on JSP workers in Visakhapatnam a couple of days ago. Naidu, who spoke to Kalyan over the phone two days ago after the latter was forced by the Visakhapatnam police to stay confined to his hotel room and cancel all his public engagements, once again extended his solidarity.
Naidu and Kalyan hit out at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and called for united political action to “save democracy” in Andhra Pradesh. The TDP chief strongly condemned the police's alleged high-handed behaviour against the film star-politician. "I am now seeing the worst kind of politics that I have not seen in over 40 years of my career. Democracy has become a complete mockery under Jagan. All liberties are being stifled and trampled," Naidu alleged.
He said the time has come for all political parties, people's organisations, student unions to join hands and fight the draconian rule of the YSR Congress. Echoing this, Kalyan too said democracy has to be revived in Andhra Pradesh by first protecting the political parties (read opposition). "We are going to change our strategies...," the Jana Sena chief said.
The ruling party, clearly finding itself on the defensive, tried to counter-attack saying that the alliance between TDP and Jana Sena has now become open with the meeting between Naidu and Kalyan. At least half a dozen ministers and a couple of ex-ministers of the Jagan Mohan Reddy Cabinet criticised the two opposition leaders.
Earlier on Tuesday, referring to JSP’s alliance with BJP in Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kalyan had said, “Whoever is leading the Union government, we have to bow to them. There’s no option … I respect BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but I will not kill my status, I will not be servile towards them.”