Pawan Kalyan's political foray into north Andhra Pradesh draws large crowds; establishment should be concerned

“If there are 10 people, there are 20 diseases. Through these horrible health issues of the kidney, anthrax and more, are you going to create bio-terrorism?’’ This could well have been a hard-hitting dialogue from any of Pawan Kalyan’s films. But this time, the setting is real, not make-believe and the reaction is instant. The theatre of the actor-turned-politician is north coastal Andhra Pradesh, where Kalyan has been touring extensively over several days. “There is a problem in every nook and corner of north Andhra Pradesh. If you go to Uddanam, there is a kidney problem. If you go to Vizianagaram, there is a problem of elephantiasis and if you go to Araku forests, there is anthrax. During my recent visit to Araku, I saw the children suffering from anemia, night blindness and skin diseases. There are no doctors in hospitals, no ambulances,’’ said Kalyan. The cynical way to react to his incursions into the three north coastal districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam is that elections are less than a year away. And that with his party Jana Sena still taking baby steps in the field of Andhra politics, where the two biggies Telugu Desam and YSR Congress are well-entrenched players, Kalyan has little time to get his act together if he wants to mount a challenge. “He is literally visiting every nook and corner of the region,’’ points out Vizag-based EAS Sarma, former energy secretary to the Government of India. “He is very persistent, and is not like a tourist. He is interested in knowing the problems. He went to the old city of Vizag to understand the pollution issue. Not many people do that.’’ It would be tempting to dismiss the optics of Kalyan riding a motorcycle in the difficult interior terrain of the region or waving the national flag as cinematic gimmickry. But what cannot be overlooked is that for a region neglected by parties whose leadership is more central Andhra-focused, Kalyan comes across as a beacon of hope. [caption id=“attachment_4693171” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Pawan Kalyan on a motorcycle ride in north Andhra Pradesh. Image procured by TS Sudhir[/caption] Which is why TDP and YSRC leaders have reason to be worried about Kalyan’s extended tour through Uttarandhra, as this region is referred to in this part of the world. While their assertion that large crowds do not necessarily translate into votes is true — Chiranjeevi in the 2009 elections being an example — the concern is: Whose votes Pawan’s Jana Sena would cut into in the event of a three-cornered contest next year, the TDP or the YSRC? The region sends 30 MLAs to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. But beyond the electronic voting machine (EVM) obsession, there is a more important dimension to Kalyan’s Uttarandhra focus. The actor-turned-politician has pitched his tent to highlight the issues plaguing the people of the region, pushed the line that continued neglect could force them to go the Telangana way. He tweeted, “Even the Telangana movement started off like this. It became a great movement and they achieved statehood. If the greed, cruelty and oppression continues by ‘ruling classes of Andhra Pradesh’, even Uttarandhra will become separate state in the next few years or less.’’ North coastal Andhra is seen as the back of beyond in Andhra Pradesh. Though the region, elected leaders such as the late Yerran Naidu and Ashok Gajapathi Raju went on to become ministers in New Delhi, however north coastal Andhra is still seen as a poorer cousin to districts enveloping Vijayawada and Rajahmundry. The feeling that Uttarandhra is losing out because of the focus on the Amaravati capital zone is strong in this region. The fact that Vizag could not get the railway zone even though Suresh Prabhu represents Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha rankles. Vizag, the most prosperous city in the three districts, has for a major part been represented politically by outsiders. From T Subbirami Reddy to Purandareswari to Janardhan Reddy, locals have seen these leaders as outsiders who come to Vizag seeking a five-year appointment. The cosmopolitan nature of Vizag means a number of non-locals have invested into the business in the port city. Over a period of time, not only has this dented the region’s ability to fight with vigour for its rights, the feeling that the culture and language of Uttarandhra is ridiculed too has taken root. Kalyan too falls in the ‘outsider’ category but the Jan Sena founder is banking on the pan-Andhra appeal he enjoys thanks to his stature as a Telugu superstar. He is positioning himself as the spokesperson of Uttarandhra interests. But will it necessarily transform into an agitation that would seek to break away from the rest of Andhra Pradesh? Unlikely, because three districts is too small a geographical spread to demand statehood. Also, there is no visible consolidation of a north Andhra sentiment. And finally, with the Maoist presence on the Andhra-Odisha border, security concerns will veto statehood. “We are not interested in a separate state, we want separate treatment,’’ says professor KS Chalam, educationist and a former member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). “The AP Reorganisation Act says the backward Uttarandhra and Rayalaseema need a special development package. But over the years, Uttarandhra has only been politically excluded, economically marginalised and socially deprived.’’ Not everyone is gung-ho. Human rights activist VS Krishna is suspicious about Kalyan’s twist in the script. “He is mouthing good cinema dialogues. Till the other day, he was Chandrababu Naidu’s man. How are we to believe that he is not Naidu’s plant to divide the anti-TDP vote just like his elder brother Chiranjeevi split the anti-Congress vote in 2009?,’’ asks Krishna. Kalyan’s gambit is to emerge as the third axis in Andhra politics, provide an alternative to those who seek an option to Naidu and Jagan. But with Jana Sena still a one-man show, the jury is still out whether Kalyan can deliver a political blockbuster+ without a strong supporting cast.