Power star and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan on Friday made a sensational disclosure that he had been under tremendous pressure to merge his party with a big national party.
Though he did not name it openly, he dropped enough hints that it was the Bharatiya Janata Party which is bringing pressure on him to merge Jana Sena Party with it.
In fact, he told the media several times in the past that none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had asked him in the past to merge Jana Sena with the BJP.
However, Pawan asserted that there was no question of merging his party with any national party under coercion.
“Let them place the gun at my head and threaten me, I will not succumb to any pressures and merge my party with any party,” he said.
The Jana Sena chief said he had floated the party for the sake of the people.
“The TDP was founded on the plank of self-respect for Telugus, Telangana Rashtra Samithi on the separate state agenda and another party with the sole aim of grabbing power to fulfil the leader’s desire to succeed his father as the chief minister. But Jana Sena was founded to protect the rights of the people,” he said, while addressing the party leaders at Vijayawada.
He said he would strive for upholding the truth and so, if anybody had any opinions on him, they should come out openly.
“But ours is not a Congress party to do street fights or make comments on the social media platforms,” he said.
Pawan said he was very much aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
“I don’t have money power to set up offices everywhere. I will grow gradually with the help of committed party workers. I know the pain of losing elections. But that does not mean, we should beat a retreat. I will tread cautiously in politics, as I am new to the field,” he said.