<p>Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party supremo Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday (June 2) announced that his party will establish a firm presence in Telangana and contest the next state Assembly elections. </p><p>The announcement came after days of high drama in which several Telangana leaders publicly questioned his Andhra origins and his right to operate politically in the state.</p>.'They won using cutouts': Pawan Kalyan on being 'jealous' of CM Vijay's iconic political win.<p>"Until now I hadn't decided. But today, I'm announcing that Jana Sena will stay here. Our party will contest elections in Telangana. We'll question the injustice being meted out to people here. If need be, I'll tour Telangana myself. Telangana is part of India," Pawan Kalyan told reporters at his Jubilee Hills residence.</p><p>The press conference itself was a consequence of escalating political tensions. The Cyberabad police denied permission to Jana Sena to hold a party workers' meeting at a private convention centre in Gachibowli, and the Telangana High Court subsequently rejected the party's last-minute petition challenging that denial. Pawan Kalyan then chose to address the media from his residence instead.</p><p>Speaking at the conference, Pawan Kalyan confirmed that Jana Sena will contest the 2029 Telangana Assembly elections, though he expressed uncertainty about whether the BJP would ally with the party by then. He also clarified that the name "Punarnirman Sabha" or Reconstruction Meeting was coined by party leaders, not by him.</p><p>Pushing back against criticism of his Andhra identity, Pawan Kalyan insisted that he has never been opposed to Telangana, only to the manner in which the state was bifurcated. He recalled that Jana Sena was founded in Hyderabad and argued that his connection to the region predates the statehood movement itself. "This isn't a newfound love for Telangana. I was speaking about this region long before the demand for a separate state took shape," he said, adding that he had extensively toured remote areas including the forests of Adilabad, something, he pointedly noted, his current critics had never done.</p><p>Taking aim at the Congress party, Pawan Kalyan questioned whether Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi would be willing to contest from anywhere in South India, recalling that Indira Gandhi had once stood for election from Medak in Telangana. </p><p>“Is Telangana your father’s personal estate? Will you attack me? Come then, here’s my home address. Because I'm committed to Telangana, I gave Rs 30 crores to Kondagattu Anjaneyaswamy temple. Will you stop me? I'll travel across this place myself. I've decided now. Telangana is an integral part of this country. Who're you to stop me? Congress leaders are asking how I'll travel in Telangana. Even YS Rajasekhar Reddy had said the same thing earlier at that time. There is no one here who is afraid. It’s my country. I will set foot wherever I want. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi can contest from Wayanad in Kerala. Indira Gandhi could contest from Medak. And you will stop us if we come? Does Congress even have any discipline? What are you even saying.? Is this how a so-called national party speaks? What is this hypocrisy of yours? Do we need a visa to go to another place within India?,” asked Pawan Kalyan.<br><br>He said that even a Congress leader who openly said “I love Pakistan” on a TV debate is now asking how he can hold a press meet. “Who is going to stop us? How long will you keep inciting regional hatred? Stoking regional hatred is very dangerous. Such things only cause harm. When TRS became BRS and opened its Andhra state party office in Mangalagiri close to our office we welcomed it. Anyone can go anywhere. Everyone has the right and freedom," he said.</p><p>Striking a broader ideological note, Pawan Kalyan said the values instilled by the soil of Telangana form the very foundation of his party's principles. He warned that Jana Sena would not tolerate any effort to undermine nationalism under the guise of regional identity, arguing that unchecked regionalism threatens the country's stability.</p>
<p>Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party supremo Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday (June 2) announced that his party will establish a firm presence in Telangana and contest the next state Assembly elections. </p><p>The announcement came after days of high drama in which several Telangana leaders publicly questioned his Andhra origins and his right to operate politically in the state.</p>.'They won using cutouts': Pawan Kalyan on being 'jealous' of CM Vijay's iconic political win.<p>"Until now I hadn't decided. But today, I'm announcing that Jana Sena will stay here. Our party will contest elections in Telangana. We'll question the injustice being meted out to people here. If need be, I'll tour Telangana myself. Telangana is part of India," Pawan Kalyan told reporters at his Jubilee Hills residence.</p><p>The press conference itself was a consequence of escalating political tensions. The Cyberabad police denied permission to Jana Sena to hold a party workers' meeting at a private convention centre in Gachibowli, and the Telangana High Court subsequently rejected the party's last-minute petition challenging that denial. Pawan Kalyan then chose to address the media from his residence instead.</p><p>Speaking at the conference, Pawan Kalyan confirmed that Jana Sena will contest the 2029 Telangana Assembly elections, though he expressed uncertainty about whether the BJP would ally with the party by then. He also clarified that the name "Punarnirman Sabha" or Reconstruction Meeting was coined by party leaders, not by him.</p><p>Pushing back against criticism of his Andhra identity, Pawan Kalyan insisted that he has never been opposed to Telangana, only to the manner in which the state was bifurcated. He recalled that Jana Sena was founded in Hyderabad and argued that his connection to the region predates the statehood movement itself. "This isn't a newfound love for Telangana. I was speaking about this region long before the demand for a separate state took shape," he said, adding that he had extensively toured remote areas including the forests of Adilabad, something, he pointedly noted, his current critics had never done.</p><p>Taking aim at the Congress party, Pawan Kalyan questioned whether Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi would be willing to contest from anywhere in South India, recalling that Indira Gandhi had once stood for election from Medak in Telangana. </p><p>“Is Telangana your father’s personal estate? Will you attack me? Come then, here’s my home address. Because I'm committed to Telangana, I gave Rs 30 crores to Kondagattu Anjaneyaswamy temple. Will you stop me? I'll travel across this place myself. I've decided now. Telangana is an integral part of this country. Who're you to stop me? Congress leaders are asking how I'll travel in Telangana. Even YS Rajasekhar Reddy had said the same thing earlier at that time. There is no one here who is afraid. It’s my country. I will set foot wherever I want. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi can contest from Wayanad in Kerala. Indira Gandhi could contest from Medak. And you will stop us if we come? Does Congress even have any discipline? What are you even saying.? Is this how a so-called national party speaks? What is this hypocrisy of yours? Do we need a visa to go to another place within India?,” asked Pawan Kalyan.<br><br>He said that even a Congress leader who openly said “I love Pakistan” on a TV debate is now asking how he can hold a press meet. “Who is going to stop us? How long will you keep inciting regional hatred? Stoking regional hatred is very dangerous. Such things only cause harm. When TRS became BRS and opened its Andhra state party office in Mangalagiri close to our office we welcomed it. Anyone can go anywhere. Everyone has the right and freedom," he said.</p><p>Striking a broader ideological note, Pawan Kalyan said the values instilled by the soil of Telangana form the very foundation of his party's principles. He warned that Jana Sena would not tolerate any effort to undermine nationalism under the guise of regional identity, arguing that unchecked regionalism threatens the country's stability.</p>