Jana Sena Party (JSP) president K. Pawan Kalyan on Monday said village/ward volunteer system would emerge as a parallel system to police, bureaucracy and political force in Andhra Pradesh, given its design and the motto of its creator, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
In an interaction with cadre here as part of his Varahi Yatra, Mr. Pawan Kalyan asserted: “The volunteer system has already emerged as dangerous and has become a threat to privacy as it possesses sensitive data of households in the 33,000 villages in the State.” The system must be scrutinised by the police and the bureaucracy.
“Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy designed the volunteer system only to hold control over every household and individuals at the grassroots level,” he said, adding that in a democracy, such a system should not be allowed to be more dominant than any other government wing.
Legal battle
On Monday, AP Women’s Commission served a notice on Mr. Pawan Kalyan, seeking an explanation for his remarks on the volunteer system during the public meeting held in Eluru on June 9.
Responding to the notice, Mr. Pawan Kalyan has said: “I will continue to expose the threats of the volunteer system. You (Mr. Jagan) can proceed with any number of cases against me for speaking on the system.”
Mr. Pawan Kalyan appealed to the people to keep an eye on the volunteer system and not to share any data if it is sought for the purpose of the YSRCP.
Exploitation
On the other hand, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said the volunteers are being paid a monthly remuneration of ₹5,200, which is lower than that drawn by the beneficiaries of the MNREGA. “The hidden talent of the youth serving as volunteers has not been explored. The number of volunteers enrolled in the system reflects the rise of unemployment,” he added.
No tolerance
On the verbal attack on his family members, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said: “Women were spared even in the battles that were fought in India during the medieval period. Imagine the state of women in Andhra Pradesh if the Chief Minister himself speaks about women belonging to the families of his rivals... Such a culture should not be tolerated.”
On being learnt that the Government Degree College (GDC-Eluru) is being run in a dilapidated room and under trees, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said that the British were better than Mr. Jagan in the higher education sector.
GDC-Eluru students on Monday shared their issues with Mr. Pawan Kalyan. In the college, a good number of students are visually challenged and are forced to study under trees due to a lack of classrooms.
