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Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena: First day first show hit

Angry at Andhra split, actor formally announced his Jana Sena Party at a Hyderabad hotel

Hyderabad: Actor Pawan Kalyan officially launched his Jana Sena Party on Friday evening amid high rhetoric and screaming fans at a hotel in Hyderabad.

The actor stood helplessly for a while -- dressed subduedly in a fawn-coloured kurta -- waiting for his fans to calm down before he began his speech. "The path is dark and there is no one to show the way or light but my willpower is strong enough," he said, referring to the "current state of affairs" in Andhra Pradesh.

He said he was not angry with brother and Union Minister K Chiranjeevi. "Why will I be angry with my brother? He is like my father. But the situation is such that I have to stand against him. It is not his fault, it is the fault of the Congress party bigwigs sitting in New Delhi." He said he never had any political ambitions. "I was happily making movies. At best, I would have stood as an MLA for the Praja Rajyam Party. But the situation has forced me to stand here."

Kalyan continued to harp on the decision to move away from superstar brother Chiranjeevi after he merged his Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress. "I am not against Telangana, but did not like the way they divided the state," he said. Pawan Kalyan then let out a roar, "Jana Sena, Mee Seva, Bharat desam Seva (Jana Sena, Your Sena, India's Sena)."

Pawan Kalyan also directly attacked Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh. "He asked me to merge my party with the Congress. Why? Is my party the Ganges that it has to merge with something?"

Pawan Kalyan said he was still in two minds about joining politics. "I registered my party two days ago. After everything was done, I asked myself what I was fighting for? Was it dirty politics or was it my brother? None of my family members know I am here. But I am no escapist. The society and country are more important," he said.

This might not be good for fans but Pawan Kalyan's interest in movies is waning! "Don't chide me, it is because of those people in Delhi that this has happened. My interest is waning but I will think about working in movies," he said.

He announced his organisation Common Man Protection Force is still alive in his heart. "CMPF has now become Jana Sena," he says. The actor also said he had no financial backing of anyone. "Certainly not big people."

The actor-turned-politician went on to take digs at other state leaders. He said Congress MP Hanumantha Rao's criticism of his three marriages was in bad taste. "Hanumantha Rao said I have married three times, Rahul Gandhi not even once. Does that make me bad. No one, no party should make comments about my personal life. I too can get personal. I have fans and network. Can upload everything on YouTube," he threatened.

The actor also attacked KCR's daughter Kavitha. "Where has she got the money in donations from for her outfit Telangana Jagruti? She should give the accounts."

Kavitha had earlier this week demanded an apology from Pawan Kalyan. "In India, anyone can start a party. But Pawan must apologise to the people of Telangana before starting his party," she had said.

Pawan Kalyan said he has faced bias as a person from Andhra in Telangana. "I used to shoot freely in Telangana but with time, people said they would burn the sets. I felt pained. It is not what the people say, it is what the governments have done," he said. He said he was invited by politicians from Seemandhra to take the plunge.

He also took on the first family of the Congress. "When Congress announced in 2009 to divide the state, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should have toured the Seemandhra region and asked people about how the problem could be solved," he said.

He also said he was not just for Telangana. "The self-respect of the people of Seemandhra is important to me." What is on the agenda? The common man, and the safety of women in the country, the actor said.

Pawan Kalyan added that he was open to working with any political party, except the Congress and ended his speech screaming, "Congress Hatao Desh Bachao."

He also declared that he will talk to TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu and again maintained that his party is an anti-Congress party.

"I will now tour all districts and talk to Chandrababu Naidu, as well. I don't care and I won't spare anyone including Sonia Gandhi today. I don't give a damn about anyone. I don't give a damn," he said.

The actor ended his marathon two-hour speech with a message to Congress bigwigs Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jairam Ramesh, P. Chidambaram and others - referring to them by name - saying, "This is a call to all of you. We are deeply hurt by the way the state was divided. We trusted you and you backstabbed us."

Earlier, a sea of fans swept the plush interiors of the HICC convention centre where he formally announced the launch of his party the Jana Sena.

Large screens beamed clippings of his hit film scenes and screaming fans seemed to have set the perfect background.

The theme song of Jana Sena continuously played as hundreds of youth waved party flags. The auditorium reverberated with the chant ''jai pawan'' and ''jai jana sena''.

People from far off places like Narasannapet in Srikakulam district came to witness what one fan described a ''revolutionary'' moment. Venu from Bhimavaram said: "We sacrificed our brave souls. We fought for the nation and it is time for a revolution. Five years ago we carried Praja Rajyam flag and pleaded with voters to elect Chiranjeevi. Now we got votes and we will elect our leader.''

( Source : dc )
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