Pawan Kalyan must first apologise to people of T, then hold meet in city: Ponnam

Hyderabad: BC welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Monday said Jana Sena chief and Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan must apologise to the people of Telangana before organising a meeting in Hyderabad.

Referring to the proposed ‘Nava Nirmana Sankalpa Sabha’ to be organised by Jana Sena at Gachibowli on Tuesday, coinciding with Telangana Formation Day, Prabhakar said the actor-politician had hurt the sentiments and self-respect of Telangana people by the comments made by him in the past.

“Is Pawan Kalyan trying to push BJP’s agenda in Telangana? Being the deputy CM of AP, he should focus on the problems in that state. Why is he not holding such sabhas in other BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh? While anyone is welcome to join Telangana Formation Day celebrations, Pawan Kalyan should first apologise,” the minister told a media conference in Husnabad.

Ponnam Prabhakar recalled the reported remark made by Pawan Kalyan that “if people of Telangana cast an eye, the coconut trees of Konaseema will wither away”. “Pawan Kalyan had also once stated that if Telangana state is formed, he would not eat for 11 days,” he revealed.

Stating that people of Telangana have love for Andhra Pradesh, the BC welfare minister, however, made it clear that they would not tolerate any insults. “There is a strong suspicion that Pawan Kalyan is coming here to incite people after allegedly entering into a secret deal with BJP to speak in a manner that incites hatred in Telangana,” he alleged.

The minister said no real son of Telangana would go to a meeting of a person who insulted Telangana unless he apologised. “If under BJP’s direction, you incite hatred and provoke divisions in Telangana, we won’t sit quiet,” he added.

In Dec last year, cinematography minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had warned that Pawan Kalyan’s movies would not be allowed to be screened in theatres in Telangana if he failed to apologise over his “insulting” remarks about the new state.

Pawan Kalyan had reportedly blamed the "evil eye" for “dying” coconut trees in the development of the Konaseema region, known for lush green fields. The Jana Sena leader, who visited the region to inspect the damaged coconut trees, had allegedly blamed it on the “evil eye” of Telangana people. His remarks had evoked a strong reaction from leaders in Telangana.