Pawan Kalyan once again raises issue of North-South discrimination
Says that he was not against north India but only against its monopoly over southern India
Hyderabad: Popular Telugu film star and founder-president of Jana Sena Party Pawan Kalyan has once again raised his voice against what he called attempts to impose the Hindi language and north Indian culture on south India.
Pawan who had aggressively campaigned in support of TDP-BJP alliance in Andhra Pradesh in the 2014 elections, said that he was not against north India, but only against its monopoly over southern India.
Speaking to the media in Hyderabad after meeting the Telangana state CPM Secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram in Hyderabad, Pawan Kalyan said that he was planning to float a South India Cultural Forum to protect the region’s culture.
“I am not against north India or north Indians. I am only demanding that people from south India should get the same opportunities and importance in north India as the north Indians are getting in the south,” he said.
He however made it clear that he was not opposing the appointment of an IAS officer from north India, Anil Singhal, as CEO of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam by the Andhra Pradesh government.
Touching on the subject of regional discrimination between north and south India, Pawan Kalyan said that he had raised the issue when he had met Narendra Modi for the first time in Gujrat. “I had drawn his attention to the fact that south Indians were being looked down upon. The people who want the unity and solidarity of the country should raise their voices against such problems. Country’s integrity should not be harmed,” he said.
This is second time that the Telugu actor has raised the issue of alleged discrimination and neglect of south Indians and the domination of Hindi language and northern culture.
“I am not against Hindi. In my movie ‘Khushi’ there was a Hindi song. I only want equal importance for south India,” he said.
His meeting with the CPM leader assumed significance in view of his declaration that his party would contest the next election on its own. This is being seen as a clear indication that he will not remain part of the TDP-BJP alliance in the next elections.
Showering praise on the ideology and commitment of the CPM to fight on the people’s issues Pawan Kalyan said that he was ready to work with mass organisations on the problems being faced by the masses.
Veerabhadram had met Pawan Kalyan to seek his support to the proposed march in Hyderabad on Monday against Telangana government’s move to remove Dharna Chowk or “Arena of Protest” from Indira Chowk area of the city.
“It is everybody’s democratic right to hold protests. Dharna Chowk was the venue of peaceful and democratic protest. Janasena party will support the struggle to retain Dharna Chowk,” he said.
