Meet your Neta | Pawan Kalyan To Contest From Pithapuram For Lok Sabha Election 2024 | News18

This is a mega exclusive and I’m on the campaign trail with a man who needs no introduction. Sir, how is the Josh? Why did you pick Pitapuram? I think definitely I need an introduction. My name is Pavan Kalyan. I’m the president of Janasena Party and I happened to be an actor too. But nowadays I’m more focused in politics, so I think I have to introduce myself now I can go ahead. OK, so the introduction there. But how is the Josh, Sir, why did you pick Pitapuram? No, it’s been right from 2009, right from when we when we initiated the political process with my brother. Since then, Pittapuram has always been seeking a family and also me, as in 2014 when I initiated the political party, they asked me to contest from here. Somehow by then I was not contesting at all. So in 2019, people of Pittapuram are actually requested me, really requested me somehow I went to Biburam. But in Pittapuram, around 3 years back, a lot of representatives, especially one particular family came here, came to Mangalgiri, the central office of Janasena. So in the middle of the summer, especially on quite a hot day, they came to me and they said, I don’t know, somehow they said Puruhutika Devi has sent us and we want you to contest from here. And I think one of the family members went to Banaras Kasi and from there they had some intuition. I don’t know this, they were asking me to come and contest from here. But then I just heard it and didn’t say I didn’t respond to anything. But somehow later stage and the amount of love and affection I get from Pittapuram is made me to contest from here. So. But the other aspect is TDP, Janis Sena, BJP are fighting together and somebody who’s been instrumental in building that alliance has been you. But why did you let go of a major chunk of seeds? Why the sacrifice? It is a kind of sacrifice only. But I personally feel more than my party, it is. See. There is a great kind of history behind it, a little background behind it. Ever since the state bifurcation of unified Andhra Pradesh and I’ve been post Telangana has got a great advantage in terms of money and in terms of development and all. But Andhra has really, really been went into great suffering and that’s been continued. And the problem here in the political process is they don’t come together and 2014 under the leadership of Modiji and that also it was I came, I came forward and I didn’t contest then because I had a very less time, less than a month. So from there I’ve been quite supportive of a vote should not get split. I won the group of really like minded individuals who who could contribute for the state, they should come together and they should work towards the welfare of the state. And 2019 we had lost it and we opposed YCP took the power and they came into government and AP had really went back almost 1 1/2 decades, 2 decades. There is not it went to that that state. There is no development, immense corruption and criminality and it has become a ganja capital of entire India. Imagine 25,000 crores worth of heroin is being spuggled from South America. So that has become instrumental. This has become a kind of drug capital of India. Looking at all this into consideration and lack of opportunities, lack of jobs, I feel instead of contesting separately, I was hell bent on to bring all the parties together. And in that way did I play an instrumental role? I don’t know. But it is my heartfelt feeling that people should not suffer anymore. I think we should all come together. And somehow I used my connections and I used my all, my whatever relationship I have with central leadership and somehow all these we all came together and we would be forming the government. But how? How are your Carter seeing it on the ground? Oh, you mean to say the main fundamental question why did you sacrifice for me? I conveyed to everyone instead of I don’t want to take any chances because a loss of one year is a loss of decade for the people of AP. I might definitely had cut down myself without a doubt, but I feel State would gain at the cost of my loss. I feel it is any interest of any political parties, primarily its people first and then the party. So I took the path of people first. But how do you respond to Jaganmohan Reddy who says that you’ve sold your party to the TDP and the that? I don’t know. That is a baseless argument in which way the problem he wants me its that kind of allegation is more for because he wants me to contest separately. In that way he will form the government. So different a great chunk of vote would come to me and definitely we will win, but definitely not to up to the mark. That way we would form government. Definitely if I have the ability and capacity to form a government definitely I would have gone independently. But the in this situation is not the case. So definitely I don’t have to taken the alliance path. See there is any N number of names you can keep on calling people. And this guy who is if he’s a Lal Bahadur Shastre, if he calls me, I sold out the party. If Jagan Mohan Reddy is a Lal Bodhu Shastri Ji like personality, definitely I would. Then youll find something which I have to answer by that color that guides himself is a corrupt guy. He has, you don’t know, empty number of cases and he’s the only person in India who is out on the bail being the chief minister who has been out on the bail for the last five years. Well, he’s been saying the same for Mr. Naidu. Mr. Naidu is not. That is a false case which has been put on him. But this guy is caught red handedly. Every proof is there. Enforcement director seized his properties and his entire family got caught up in some murder cases of his own uncle. And there are enough number of criminality, financial frauds and everything if you look at it. That kind of guy putting a branding, something naming me something. I don’t give a damn for that Pawan Kalyan Kairu, Do you have chief ministerial ambitions because your Carters have been baiting, waiting with baited bread for that sadhguru? See, for me, I’m a very a great admirer of Nani Palliki Valaji. For me, I believe in servant leadership. Right from my 10th grade, two books of Nani Palliki Valaji influenced me. We the nation and we the people. So for me, politics is all about serving people and giving servant leadership. But not in terms of becoming something is if it happens, well and good, but you have chief ministerial ambitions. You want to be a chief minister someday. If it happens, well and good. But what I would do is just like the essence of Gita. Do your duty. Leave the result to God some If it happens, if it comes on my path, definitely I’ll accept it. But if TDPJSPBJP combined comes to power in the state of Andhra Pradesh, can we see a formula being worked out where Mr. Naidu and you perhaps sharing the Chief ministers chair term wise? I don’t know. Right now we are looking at to form the government first to win the election first, then all of us will sit. Central leadership will sit. We will see how it unfolds. So we’ll talk about it when we cross that path, Sadhguru. But will you be contending yourself proposing yourself as the CM candidate, Sadhguru, For me it is always like I wanted it to happen. Normally I think about people and their issues and that is my fundamental priority. I really, I didn’t come into politics for the sake of you know, particular position I was interested in to serve people. That is my priority. But you’re not denying it if given an opportunity. If given an opportunity, definitely I’ll take it. Who is the CM face right now of this alliance? It’s not about CM face, its about kicking out Jagans government priority. That’s it. So whoever becomes both them Chandrababu, Garu and me, we are all fine. We have a great understanding. OK Sir, I want to personally ask you one question. 2014, you formed Janasena Party. 2019 you contested and it has been a year of learning. It has been a decade of learning. Initially when you started out, obviously you’re a mega star power star. There’s so much fan following, but have you been able to transition yourself from being just seen as an actor to now an neta? Have people finally accepted you as a political neta? That’s what you’ve been seeing it. I personally feel when I right now, even when I was in, when I was completely into films other than politics, even before, when I initiated the acting career, I was more of a very personal, of a social consciousness. I was doing film because I have to. I didn’t have any other job to do and my family happened to be in cinema. Somehow it happened to me. But my fundamental yearning or craving is more to think in terms of societal goodness. So when I initiated political party, it is for me. The bifurcated state has gone into suffering. Someone should speak out without expecting any kind of, you know, their political dividend, just let them speak the truth. And 19 When I have failed, I truly, truly gained because I was prepared for a 25 year journey when I initiated the political party. So in 2019 when I failed in both the assembly constituencies, I felt good. I said I had to go through this grinding because I’m not just another contestant or candidate. I’m running a political party and I have with certain specific idealistic commitment. I want to go through this grinding and I feel good because everyone. In fact, I advise everyone just for one failure should not stop you. Yeah, I look at Kanshi Ram Ji, I look at Mayawati Ji and I look at advantage from how they have formed, how they came together. It is a every National Party today, they have a great history of 70 years or 90 years of 150 years. So for me, I just, I’m just a simple budding political party. I think I’m glad that I have chosen this path and I think that’s what I have gained a lot of trust of people and that’s why they believe in me Right now. BJPS mission is char. So par S is definitely a big challenge for them. How do you see things playing out for BJP? See if if you look at it, Modiji has got a great popularity in the South, in Tamil Nadu, Let it be in Tamil Nadu, in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh by myself and Modiji came people like me when he was being the Chief minister, Chief minister for Gujarat when he started becoming the prime ministerial candidate. And I personally felt I should stand by him. That’s how I came from South. To stand by him and BJP will make a great inroads into southern part of India without a note, any message to Jagan Mohan Reddy. My final question no. Jagan has to pack his bags and he has to walk around courts and people are in. What is it? Some central Jain is waiting for him. I think he should. OK, please tell me or rather describe yourself as a neta with one of your movie dialogues. I don’t know about. I don’t think of recall my movie dialogues for me. It is for me a phone called Jalsam. It is all about exploitation of people. And when youth lack opportunities, I think there is a burning which I say that I don’t know, I hardly recall that line but that emotion is there in me and to work for, you know the well-being of the people. And if you ask me, especially when it comes to aliens, this is for your family. Yeah, this one particular day like I don’t know, hardly recall my dialogues. So in my case, the alliance wise, it’s not about winning. It is about how you cut down your size to make others win and others wins not in terms of political parties, in terms of people, in terms of state. So I feel Ekrana Gallo Gallo, the leaders allows method. CM chair option is open. I think it all depends on people. It depends on the will of God. Let us see. Thank you so much for your time. That was power star superstar Pavan Kalyan in an exclusive chat with CNN News 18 Do TuneIn. For more such exclusive videos, I am Swastika Das signing off with video journalist Venkatesh here in Pitakuram.