Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan raked up yet another controversy, claiming that permission was denied to him to pay homage to the 1,200 people who sacrificed their lives for Telangana Statehood.

Questioning the denial of permission, Mr. Pawan Kalyan remarked that citizens from any part of the country are free to pay respects to soldiers at India Gate and wondered why homage to Telangana martyrs should be treated differently.

At the same time, he questioned whether 12 years were not enough to recognise the sacrifices of Telangana martyrs? “The land that inspired me is Telangana. Such sacrifices cannot be ignored,” he said in a tone questioning the commitment of the governments that failed to honour them.

Addressing the Jana Sena meeting in New Delhi, Mr. Pawan Kalyan maintained that Jana Sena was never against the aspirations of the people of Telangana but had questioned what he described as the ‘hasty and politically motivated’ process adopted during the State’s bifurcation.

The Jana Sena chief also criticised what he termed ‘selective regionalism’ among some political leaders in southern States. Without naming individuals, he alleged that several leaders adopt an aggressive posture against the Centre while addressing audiences in their home States, but soften their stance once they reach the national capital.

Congress reacts

The Congress reacted strongly to Mr. Pawan Kalyan’s comments in the national capital with TPCC Mahesh Kumar Goud questioning his ‘discomfort’ with the Telangana State formation.

Mr. Goud said the AP Deputy CM was just parroting the words of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, he claimed has made similar derogatory remarks against Telangana formation.

He said that Mr. Pawan Kalyan had a history of belittling the formation of Telangana. “Telangana’s formation should not be trivialised for political gains,” he said questioning where was Jana Sena during the Statehood movement.

“This is not a movie where one can deliver dialogues without responsibility. Politics requires maturity, understanding and respect for history,” he remarked and advised Mr. Pawan Kalyan to study the history of Congress and the contributions of leaders from the Nehru-Gandhi family before making comments against the party.

“Both States should work together for development and welfare. However, if anyone targets Telangana for political gains, Congress will strongly oppose such efforts,” he said.

Advisor to the Telangana Government, Mohammed Ali Shabbir condemned Mr. Pawan Kalyan for his remarks on Telangana.