Andhra: What's behind Pawan Kalyan's outburst against his own govt

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan’s outburst over the poor law and order in the state has sparked a debate over the future of the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance in the state. The alliance took power after winning the May 2024 elections.

Citing a rape and murder of a three-year-old girl on November 1 in Tirupati district, Pawan Kalyan lambasted homeminister Vangalapudi Anita for her department’s disastrous performance.

Addressing students after inaugurating a science laboratory in a school in his constituency Pithapuram, he suddenly became emotional and asked the minister not to create a situation where he would have to assume the role of the home minister.

Follow Yogi model': Pawan Kalyan dares Andhra Home Minister, TDP

Pawan Kalyan trips

“It is not that I cannot take over the home (department). If I took over, I would be forced to adopt (Uttar Pradesh chief minister) Yogi Adityanath’s methods to bring the situation under control,” he hissed.

He was equally critical of IPS officers who, in his view, were still talking the language of the previous government. “Are you not IPS officers whose prime responsibility is to work as per BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita),” he asked.

The question is why the actor-turned politician chose a soft target like home minister Anita when the law and order is handled by none other than chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. How could a deputy chief minister publicly denounce the functioning of a cabinet colleague?

This is shadow war

Many see this as the result of a conflict between Pawan Kalyan, the deputy chief minister and the fading 'hero' image he enjoyed when leading the Jana Sena.

Also Read: Why Pawan Kalyan may be the perfect conduit for RSS to gain Andhra foothold

In the beginning, his fans were happy that their hero, though a first-time MLA, had catapulted to the post of deputy chief minister. In Andhra Pradesh, fans largely constitute members of the caste of the hero. In the case of Pawan Kalyan, the fans are mostly Kapu by caste. Kapus, a large community, had expected that Pawan’s new role as deputy chief minister in the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP government would empower the caste politically.

But that has not happened as he is not the government's numero uno. He is only a deputy chief minister. And the portfolios he holds, such as Panchayati Raj, rural development and rural water supply, forest, environment, and science and technology, have been unglamorous for his fans.

Handcuffed by ‘weak’ ministries

He has no say in vital departments like home, so he could not transfer a single police officer, direct officials to book cases against the people he dislikes, or drag anybody to the police station. Such authority suits his image as an all-powerful hero.

The fans started feeling there was nothing to cheer about and that Pawan’s hero image was fading away in politics where Chandrababu Naidu and his son and IT minister Lokesh are eclipsing him. Pawan’s Sanatana Dharma Rakshak role is not taken seriously by people. An unkind social media has started cracking jokes about his newfound love for Sanatana Dharma. Fans are unhappy that Pawan’s inability to assert his leadership has led to TDP -Jana Sena clashes in coastal Andhra.

TDP, Jana Sena clashes

In June 2024, TDP and Jana Sena workers clashed over the control of a temple in Tadiparthi village in Kakinada district. After the party's defeat in the 2024 election, the custodian of Aparna Devi temple, a YSRCP leader, handed over the keys to a TDP leader which was opposed by Jana Sena cadres, leading to a clash.

In October, another fight broke out in Chebrolu in Guntur district when officials had invited TDP farmers alone as guests in a seed distribution programme. On November 2, a clash broke out between workers of Jana Sena and TDP at an event in Pithapuram when NDA MLC candidate P Rajasekhar, a TDP nominee, was found without Jan Sena scarf.

All these clashes were the result of a feeling of insecurity among the Jana Sena workers that their hero’s charisma is eroding and they were being ignored by the TDP, says Dr N Tulasi Reddy, a former MP and a Congress veteran.

Escalating political conflict

“The clashes began at village level and now surfaced at the leadership level. Since Pawan cannot afford to attack Chief Minister Naidu directly for the failure of law and order, he has chosen a soft target, Home Minister Anita,” he said.

Is it not strange that the deputy chief minister is unaware of who is handling the law and order in the government, asked Reddy.

According to him, another reason for Pawan’s discontentment is the poor performance of the Panchayati Raj department. “He conducted Gram Sabhas for 13,000 villages. But poor sanitation is spreading dengue, malaria and other communicable diseases in rural areas. He wants to divert people’s attention from his own failures to the failure of law and order by citing rapes and murders and disappearance of women,” he added.

Opposition targets AP government

Senior CPI-M leader Kandarapu Murali also expressed similar sentiments by stating that Pawan’s caustic remarks against the home minister and IPS officers were a diversionary tactic. “Pawan wants Yogi Adityanath-type chief minister for Andhra Pradesh. As for Andhra, Yogi is no solution. Killing the offenders of sexual assault on girls has never put an end to the problem,” Murali said.

The spokesman for the opposition YSR Congress, RK Roja, said Pawan had vindicated what the YSRC had been telling about the poor law and order under NDA rule.

“As many as 125 incidents of rape and murders have taken place during NDA rule. When we raised the issue, home minister Anita ridiculed us. Now we want to know how she will respond to Pawan’s extreme criticism,” Roja asked.

Ministers plays down outburst

Anita sought to downplay the intensity of Pawan’s anger. “There is nothing wrong in Pawan Kalyan’s comments. As deputy chief minister he responded to a ghastly incident. I will discuss the matter with him and sort it out,” she said.

Municipal minister P Narayana too justified Pawan’s outburst. “It is common for the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers to raise concern over issues of serious nature. Nothing more should be read into his comments,” he told the media.

Observers like Tulasi Reddy are convinced that chief minister Naidu will have to face more embarrassing moments as Pawan is possessed by Hindutva icon Yogi Adityanath.