Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting with Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan in Visakhapatnam has set political circles talking. The meeting gains significance as Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu had shown solidarity with Pawan Kalyan in his “fight to protect democracy”. After the meeting, speculation was rife about a possible alliance between Jana Sena and TDP.
However, the PM’s meeting changed the equations. The Prime Minister is also believed to have said that there was no possibility of allying with TDP.
On the invitation of the BJP national leadership, Kalyan met Modi as the latter camped in the port city as part of a two-day visit. Kalyan, along with Jana Sena political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar, met the Prime Minister at the INS Chola suite. In a 30-minute meeting, Modi had a one-on-one interaction with Kalyan.
Revealing the possible aim of the meeting, Telakapalli Ravi, a political commentator, said: “This meeting took place in the background of Naidu meeting Pawan Kalyan and resolving to ‘save democracy’. The actor was also confined in a hotel in Visakhapatnam for two days after his supporters allegedly clashed with a minister’s convoy. Following this, Pawan asked for a roadmap from BJP to overthrow the YSRCP government. That roadmap excludes Chandrababu Naidu. As BJP did in many cases, it wants to replace Congress in Telangana and TDP in Andhra Pradesh. Modi told Pawan Kalyan not to have any illusions about Naidu and was not enthusiastic about an alliance with TDP. Pawan submitted a five-page note to Modi, listing grievances against the YSRCP government, and the PM said that he knows everything. Pawan did not utter a word about the Vizag Steel Plant, an issue he raises quite often, and made a vague statement that AP would see good days soon.”
Ravi added that he does not see any alliance between TDP and JSP in the future. “After Naidu met Pawan Kalyan at a hotel in Vijayawada, there was no joint statement from them or any other meeting. We can conclude from that no alliance is happening between them.”
E Venkateshu, a political science professor from Hyderabad Central University does not see anything of electoral significance in the meeting. “I do not think the meeting had any electoral significance as the general elections are a good 20 months away. It might be important for long-term planning, but when you look at it from an electoral performance point of view, in the 2019 elections, Jana Sena had got 7.5 per cent vote share with one assembly seat. BJP had less than 1 per cent without a single seat. So we do not know if the parties will have any advantage over others if they stay together.”
Explaining the image of the saffron party in AP, the professor added: “Congress and BJP are seen as ‘sinful’ parties in Andhra Pradesh. The former is hated for bifurcating Andhra Pradesh and the latter for not granting the Special Category Status. So BJP meeting Jana Sena does not have any electoral advantage.”
Another reason for the meeting might be YSRCP’s plan of establishing three capitals, he added. “The powerful Kapu community from coastal Andhra might have asked Pawan to meet Modi and stall the government’s plans. However, the YSRCP does not oppose any policy of the central government. TDP is declining at a fast rate due to a lack of leadership. Naidu is ageing and his son is not seen as a capable leader. It remains to be seen if they can revive the party. On the other hand, the YSRCP is not as aggressive on Jana Sena as it is on the TDP. Therefore, Pawan might have met Modi for the cause of a single, centralised capital,” the professor said.
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