Tirupati: A bitter turn in the ongoing volunteer row saw Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy launching a personal attack on Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader Pawan Kalyan. The feud was triggered by Pawan Kalyan’s recent comments suggesting that state government-appointed volunteers are involved in human trafficking.
Jagan Mohan Reddy referred to Pawan Kalyan as the ‘adopted son’ of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and accused him of luring women, marrying them, and then divorcing them after four years. The Chief Minister further alleged that Pawan Kalyan engages in illicit relations with other women while being married.
The state government has granted permission to prosecute Pawan Kalyan for his defamatory statement against the government and its volunteers. The Government Order (GO) directs the public prosecutor to file a complaint against the JSP leader in a competent court of law. This move came after Pawan Kalyan claimed that volunteers were responsible for the disappearance of 29,000 women in Andhra Pradesh, citing NCRB data.
During a public meeting in Venkatagiri, Tirupati district, Jagan Mohan Reddy also launched personal attacks on Chandrababu Naidu, Balakrishna (actor and brother-in-law of Naidu), and Naidu’s son Lokesh. He criticized their characters and accused them of being involved in questionable behavior.
The Chief Minister defended the volunteer system, stating that they were working with a service-oriented motto and accused Pawan Kalyan of indulging in character assassination of volunteers. He asserted that the volunteers, many of whom are his sisters, have been providing selfless service to the people transparently, regardless of caste, creed, or political affiliations.
Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Pawan Kalyan of working as a political volunteer and package star for the TDP over the past ten years. He called upon the people to choose between his government, which has implemented welfare schemes transparently, and political manipulators who seek power for personal gains.
The Chief Minister criticized Pawan Kalyan’s statements on alliances, considering them part of a political drama produced by Chandrababu Naidu, with friendly media backing the script. He urged people to stand by the YSRCP and support its welfare schemes in the upcoming elections, cautioning against falling for vicious campaigns aimed at discrediting the government, its MLAs, and Ministers.