My focus is on a skill census and revival of democratic systems in A.P., says Pawan Kalyan

A skill census, developing the movie industry ecosystem, strengthening democratic systems and shaping Pithapuram as a spiritual hub are some of the plans for Andhra Pradesh envisaged by Pawan Kalyan, president of the Jana Sena Party, which is in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party and the BJP. He says the people of the State are scared of the present government and its policies. Edited excerpts:

Post your marathon tours along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu and others, what are your thoughts on the public mood?

On the ground, I’ve seen the people suffering. When the YSR Congress Party regime began and the promises were made, people really believed Jagan Mohan Reddy and thought this guy would do something, taking his father as a touchstone. But reality turned out different and even the hardcore followers of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy have become mute. The promises were not kept, including the ones on welfare schemes.

For instance, look at the promise given on employees’ Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) where he failed. When he talked about the liquor policy and total prohibition, we truly believed him. I was also surprised when I learnt about the policy because I know it’s almost impossible to eradicate liquor in a State that’s surrounded by six States and possible leakages.

The youth, teachers, police and their family members who believed and stood behind him were disappointed. There were no jobs, there were multiple issues for employees, Amma Vadi funds did not go to all the children as promised, only one child was supported per family. The auto drivers were not happy about ₹10,000 payment per annum as the roads were not even given basic repairs, owing to which they incurred several thousands of rupees to repair their damaged vehicles time and again. That’s a real problem hampering their daily work.

The construction industry is very badly hit by the high input cost and restrictions on sale of sand. He talks of decentralisation and class war but he confined the basic necessity, sand, to just two companies and made it highly centralised. Every section of the society is annoyed by the policies but they are scared to come out in the open. I could see it clearly. Initially, when I heard people were committing suicides due to lack of sand, I thought it was exaggeration but later I saw how it is impacting the economy. He just took the decision based on opinions of people like Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and Y.V. Subba Reddy who are around him. When I went to Visakhapatnam to launch an agitation for construction workers, I was astonished to see a tremendous response. Over 1.5 lakh people turned out for the protest and I could clearly see the people’s anger. So discontentment started within four to five months as we see.

You were very keen on the BJP-TDP-JSP alliance from the beginning. What’s the motive and what’s the value addition you expected out of it?

I grew up in Chennai. During my Chennai days, I came across an article which dealt with M.G. Ramachandran, Indira Gandhi and the issue of Krishna water for Tamil Nadu. In the gist of the story, I remembered one line and that is... for a State to prosper, Centre’s cooperation is very crucial. When I was growing up, I realised that the Centre’s role is very important for the growth of States. Sometimes, States may fall apart based on linguistic, cultural or other movements but the Centre remains strong. I feel the strength of the Centre is essential for the stability and growth of States.

When it comes to BJP, more importantly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it’s a special connect. When the repeated terrorist attacks happened in different parts of the country, my generation and the next generation wanted a strong and ideal leader who could motivate, instil confidence and take the country to such a strong pedestal that the anti-social elements and terrorists would be scared of touching Indian integrity. And I saw such a strong leader in Mr. Modi and that’s the reason why I aligned with him in 2014. Now we sail on with the BJP, along with the TDP.

More than any Indian PM, especially since the 1990s, I believe that Modiji understood the nitty-gritty of what this generation wants. He truly understands the entirety of India. Take the Padma awards, for instance. We have awardees such as Canada-based Sankurathri Chandrasekhar, who lost his family members in the Kanishka flight bombing, and who quietly started a charity in Kakinada of Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, we have great examples of awardees such as C.V. Raju who revived the 500-year-old Etikoppaka wooden toys craft and musician Kinnera Mogulaiah and Sunkara Venkata Adinarayana Rao of Visakhapatnam who has served thousands of polio victims. Earlier, the criteria for Padma awards used to be political connections but now the awardees are selected based on grassroot realities, achievements, work, issues and service. So, without knowing Mr. Modi personally, I understood a lot about him.

When the Mumbai blasts happened, I interacted with many people across the spectrum, most of them felt that we need a strong leader. Mr. Modi understands the need of the hour. We need a person of such traits for the alliance, for the good of the country and the State.

What are the Jana Sena Party’s promises? What kind of changes do you want to bring in?

We need to restore and strengthen the democratic systems. In A.P., the successive governments, except the TDP, have successfully killed the systems. For instance, during Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s regime, recall how many IAS officers went to jail. I went against the TDP government in a couple of instances but there was no vendetta, it was issue-based. But now in A.P., entire democratic institutions are failing. My primary motto is to strengthen democracy by strengthening the institutions. Individuals build institutions and institutions build individuals.

Secondly, we all think of demographic dividend. But if you look at the youth in A.P., most of them are clueless about the resources to empower them. Even I suffered a lack of guidance in my youth. I was clueless till I was 20 years old and was a late learner. Personally, I feel we have a responsibility to strengthen youth through right education, right skills, right hobbies, etc. For that, I propose the concept of ‘Skill Census’.

There is no skill identification process and career guidance in the present set-up. So, the government should understand the skills and aspirations of the youth. In the present society, we need people with multiple skills to survive in this competitive world. We need to groom youth with a diversified skill set. For me, education and health are the most important elements.

Another important aspect is safe drinking water, which is a major issue that is unattended to. When I went to Bhimavaram, which houses many multi-millionaires, people told me that there is no safe drinking water. Despite having several State and Central schemes, safe drinking water is still not available. Added to that, there is groundwater contamination due to aqua farming and excessive mining of sand. In the name of development, we are destroying the ecosystem.

Irrigation is another concern. Irrigation projects have become ATM machines for the government. People in the projects have become rich without developing the projects. And the maintenance of the present canal system is ignored. For instance, Eleru Kalva in Pithapuram needs maintenance.

What’s your take on building an ecosystem for the film industry?

I think, we should definitely create an ecosystem for the movie industry here in A.P. There should be less interference in the economic affairs of the industry and more governance. What we have now is maximum interference and maximum violence in A.P.

We need to have a single window system for all the approvals and permissions. You have to create enough infrastructure. You have very beautiful locations across the State. Look at Rayalaseema, esp., Horsley Hills, Kadapa, Siddavaram, Vizag, Kakinada, Rajahmundry. We have 974 kilometers of coastline and we need to identify a few pockets and develop the region in the first phase. And the local people should be a part of it so that it creates employment in a big way. There’s a hunt for unique locations for movies and even TV serials, and A.P. fits the bill.

Coming to Pithapuram, the constituency you are contesting, how do you perceive people’s support for you and the fight from the YSR Congress Party candidate?

It was an amazing and tremendous response from the people of Pithapuram. I’m thankful that the people are giving me a great opportunity to serve them. Coming to the Opposition, I believe, we need to have it in the democratic set-up. There should be a fight and it’s the democratic process. Even for me not to be over confident, I wish that the opposition should be present. But the present government has not paid attention to development or welfare. The government has opened doors for the free movement of ganja and people are scared.

There is an all pervasive negative feeling for YSR Congress Party rule.

I’ll do my best and live up to my promises for Pithapuram. Pithapuram should be a religious and spiritual hub as well as developmental cluster. Enough avenues need to be developed for employment opportunities for the youth. The coastal belt can be developed till Kakinada to make it a tourist destination. Several parts of Pithapuram are undeveloped. Connecting all the temples with sufficient infrastructure can make it a spiritual hub. The place is called ‘Dakshin Kasi’ (Varanasi of South India). I’d like to develop it as a true ‘Dakshin Kasi’.

We have the historical Kukkuteswara temple, Pada Gaya, 10th Shakti Peetham and Dattatreya temple and all these places can be decked up.

You made a statement that you’ll make Pithapuram your home. Are you building your house here? How far has it come along?

I’ve actually started building my house here but there is temporary halt due to the election. I lived in a rural set-up in West Godavari during my childhood and, later, lived in different places due to my father’s transfers from one place to another frequently. Somehow, I lost touch with that rural connect and I want to reconnect and rekindle it once again by building my house in Pithapuram.

I even tried to buy my childhood house in Mogaltur but the owners said they want to keep it. They are quite settled in that house and I thought I should not disturb that. So, we have to create a new memory with the new house in Pithapuram. Godavari flows in our veins and we should rekindle that part.

 You are known for being a crowd-puller and the youth want to know about whatever you do or don’t do. What’s your message to the youth?

 I want the youth of A.P. to take an active role in strengthening democracy. Never again, can we give way to criminals. We should strive to safeguard the freedom which was given by our freedom fighters. Youth should read history and understand the sacrifices made for freedom. Their minimum responsibility is to be a part of the democratic process. Even if there is scorching heat, they should come out and vote on May 13 with absolute integrity. Don’t be swayed by emotion, apply thought.