Jana Sena Party president and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has issued a final warning to Kapu leaders against linking him only to their caste and making harsh comments against him for allegedly not doing justice to the community.
He sent a clear message to the Kapu community, saying he is not in politics only to protect the interests of Kapus.
“I don’t mind losing Kapu votes for saying this, but I want to assert that I do not represent only the Kapu community. I did not enter politics to safeguard only the Kapu community, but for the welfare of the state and the country,” he said.
Pawan Kalyan said he was “fed up” with such caste narratives.
“For the last 12 years, I have been facing this criticism from Kapu leaders. These leaders question me for keeping Nadendla Manohar or Lingamaneni Ramesh by my side just because they belong to the Kamma community. I wonder why society is still unable to move beyond caste identities,” he said, adding that electoral gains and losses were secondary to his principles.
He pointed out that the Reddy community does not question YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy if he does justice to other communities, and Kammas do not question Chandrababu Naidu for not doing justice only to them.
“Why do these Kapu leaders question only me, saying I am ignoring them?” he asked.
He said Kapu leaders like V.V. Lakshminarayana, former joint director of the CBI, and Thota Chandrasekhar had left Jana Sena after losing elections, but Kamma leader Nadendla Manohar stood by him even after defeat.
“Had JD or Thota Chandrasekhar continued in the party, they might have become Rajya Sabha members,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister questioned why critics repeatedly invoked the name of slain Kapu leader Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga during debates.
He pointed out that Ranga’s wife belonged to the Kamma community and said their children represented both communities, arguing that society should move beyond rigid caste divisions.
“These leaders who are criticising me for not doing justice to Kapus can do one thing. They can come together and project a consensus Kapu leader as the chief ministerial candidate and try to capture power democratically. I will welcome him and even send a congratulatory message,” Pawan Kalyan said.
