Pawan Kalyan Politics: Is He Really Serious About Becoming AP CM?

There is nothing wrong with a party chief aspiring to the most important post in the state — that of Chief Minister. However, it is equally important to see how that leader is working towards achieving that goal. As far as Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan is concerned, his fans and Jana Sena leaders strongly want him to become the Chief Minister. But looking at the current political equations in Andhra Pradesh, even in the next ten years, it will not be easy for Jana Sena to contest on its own and secure a key position. Otherwise, some unexpected miracles would have to happen. For now, there are no signs of such chances anywhere. Ever since Pawan Kalyan took charge as Deputy Chief Minister in the coalition government, the way he has been conducting himself has become a hot topic in political and official circles. The main reason for this is the approach being followed by Pawan Kalyan.

Technically, after the Chief Minister, Pawan Kalyan holds the second position in the government as Deputy Chief Minister. However, his repeated absence from Cabinet meetings and his failure to attend Assembly sessions have become a matter of serious discussion. There is also a debate over whether this is how any leader who is targeting a key position should function. Pawan Kalyan did not attend the Assembly sessions that concluded on Thursday, citing health reasons. If he was genuinely unwell, nobody would fault him for his absence. However, on the final day of the Assembly sessions, he came to the Assembly premises, held a meeting with Jana Sena MLAs and left, but did not enter the House. This has led to discussions about how much respect Pawan Kalyan has for the legislature.

A Jana Sena leader himself commented that it is difficult to understand what message Pawan Kalyan is sending to the people by coming to the Assembly premises while the House is in session and holding a meeting with party MLAs in the same premises without entering the House. A senior minister commented that Pawan Kalyan is the only leader in the entire Andhra Pradesh government who, despite having no responsibilities whatsoever, is displaying a sense of power and authority in many ways along with wielding power. The Panchayat Raj Department is one of the most crucial departments in the government. Yet, even during the budget sessions, he was absent from almost the entire session. There is a discussion among Jana Sena MLAs themselves about what kind of message Pawan Kalyan, who is the Deputy Chief Minister, is sending to the people by not attending Assembly sessions, Cabinet meetings and collectors’ meetings.

There is also a discussion among Jana Sena MLAs that if Pawan Kalyan were to leave the coalition for any reason and appeal to people to vote for him and his party candidates, would people not think whether there would be any benefit in electing such a leader? On the other hand, there is also a discussion in political circles that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is in a helpless position where he cannot say anything or act against whatever Jana Sena chief and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan does. However, overall, the prevailing opinion among many is that this will cause greater political damage to Jana Sena, and particularly to Pawan Kalyan, than to the TDP. A leader who has observed him closely commented that, despite holding a key position in the government, Pawan Kalyan appears to be under the impression that everything can be set right with a single word, just as in films.