Former Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu called on Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan at a hotel in Vijayawada. He was there to express solidarity with the film star after the Visakhapatnam airport incident that led to the latter being confined to the hotel room and returning without organising the proposed Janavani programme there. After they were closeted for an hour or so, both emerged outside to address a media conference here, and declared that they would with the help of all political parties, strive to protect democracy in Andhra Pradesh.
The TDP president said that he was pained at the way in which the film actor was treated by the police in Visakhapatnam and said Pawan Kalyan was sent packing in the dark in a police vehicle, making a mockery of democracy. “In the past, they had attacked the TDP office and registered cases against us. It is time to protect political parties in order to save democracy. We have appealed to Pawan Kalyan to join us in this,” he disclosed.
Pawan Kalyan thanked Naidu for the visit and said there was need for all political parties and people’s organisations to come together and save democracy. “This is not the time to talk about elections, but we have to protect democracy. A decision on how to go about in elections cannot be taken in a day. We are working on strategies to fight the YSR Congress Party. As a first step, we will fight legally and politically and ultimately, it is our aim to do good for the people,” he stated.