People’s will to put an end to YSRCP’s ‘era of arrogance’ gave new direction to democratic process, says Pawan Kalyan

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan on Friday said the people of the State had thankfully brought to an end the “era of arrogance” by voting the YSRCP government out of power in the 2024 elections.

Addressing a public meeting organised at Daminedu in Chandragiri Assembly constituency to mark the 12-year NDA rule at the Centre and two years of its rule in the State, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said, “Blinded by absolute power, the erstwhile regime had displayed all the negative qualities such as authoritarianism, intolerance to criticism, attack against the Opposition, and muzzling of the media.”

The election results in 2024 had not only proved that people’s will always reigned supreme, but also showed that the regime of “fright, arrogance and absolute power” could not continue forever, thus giving a new direction to the democratic process, Mr. Pawan Kalyan opined.

Striking a positive note, he observed that the government’s decisions should be meant for the future generations, but not with an eye on the forthcoming elections.

Pointing to the loss of public faith in local bodies as an indication of “broken governance chain,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan, as Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, offered to strengthen grassroots governance by drawing inspiration from the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, Deen Dayal Upadhyay and B.R. Ambedkar. He also appealed to the public to believe in the systems, rather than the political parties they owed allegiance to.

‘Destructive mindset’

In his address, HRD Minister N. Lokesh alleged that the previous YSRCP government had nurtured a destructive mindset and adopted a negative approach to governance.

“The political vendetta in the form of murders, unleashing violence against critics, and the loathsome language used by politicians have become a thing of the past,” he said, while taking exception to the “rappa… rappa” culture allegedly being promoted by the opposition party of late.

Reeling out the development agenda, Mr. Lokesh explained how the government could take the Google Data Centre, ArcelorMittal–Nippon Steel projects and DSC posts forward by overcoming the hurdles created by the opposition party.

BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav highlighted the ₹14 lakh crore investments received by Andhra Pradesh during the last two years, calling it an indication of investor confidence in the NDA regime.

He expressed his confidence that the State would become the renewable energy capital with the green hydrogen project proposed with ₹2 lakh crore investment. He also spoke on how the flow of investments into the Rayalaseema region would promote businesses and generate local employment.