Jana Sena Founder Pawan Kalyan said that he doesn’t fear India’s top businessmen like Mukesh Ambani and added that he will order an enquiry into the exploitation of oil resources in Krishna Godavari Basin by Reliance. He also alleged that AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and YSRCP Chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy have not questioned RIL about its over-use of oil resources.

“Either Chandrababu, Lokesh and Jagan fear Ambani or they are also part of the scam,” Pawan Kalyan alleged. Taking on RIL, he questioned the Oil giant for closing down its oil and gas discovery recently, after exploiting resources in the KG Basin for 10 years – from 2008 to 2018.

Quoting the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report of 2015, Pawan said that CAG report states that there were irregularities in payments to contracts for drilling well in the KG-D6 field. In 2017, the Oil & Gas Ministry raised a compensation claim, there has been no progress on it.

“The compensation to recover nearly $1.1 billion has to be sought from RIL. Further, RIL has deprived the Godavari region of jobs. Whether it is Mukesh Ambani or anyone, Jana Sena will fight for the people,” Pawan added. The Jana Senani also slammed the Prime Minister for overlooking such a huge issue that has deprived AP of natural resources. “If we form the government in 2019, we will hold Mukesh Ambani responsible for RIL’s follies,” he said.

Political observers say that Jana Sena Chief struck the right chord with people by raising such a crucial issue. Several Chief Ministers have neglected this issue. While the deal was struck during Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s regime despite opposition to it by several parties in united Andhra Pradesh, Pawan has done the right thing by highlighting this issue, they opine. After raising an alarm on the Kidney diseases epidemic in Uddanam on which the state government was forced to act, this issue of RIL’s exploitation of KG Basin will surely win Jana Sena brownie points.

Bharatiya Janata Party, which hardly has the chances of winning even half a dozen seats in the ongoing elections in Telangana, has come out with a manifesto with less than a week for the closure of campaigning.

In the manifesto released by state BJP president K Laxman on Thursday, the party has promised farm loan waiver up to Rs two lakh, free laptops to degree students, regulation of liquor sale and free distribution of cows to one lakh people every year.

It also promised a legislation to prevent “forcible religious conversions” made by offering money and other inducements. Steps would be taken to send back Rohingyas and those who “illegally entered” from Bangladesh, it said.

The manifesto also promised free distribution of quality seeds and free bore or well or a pumpset to every farmer. Alongside free laptops to degree students, the manifesto said girl students from seventh standard to 10th standard will get free cycles. Girl students of degree and above courses will get ‘scooties’ (two-wheelers) with 50 per cent subsidy. It also promised free houses to all eligible poor by 2022.

Similarly, financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per month would be paid towards rent till the construction of such houses, it said.

In addition to implementation of the NDA government’s ‘Ayushman Bharat’ health scheme, the manifesto promised steps to set up generic medicine centres in every mandal (administrative unit).

The unemployed youth will get unemployment dole of Rs 3,116 per month. For welfare of women, the manifesto promised provision of Rs one lakh and one ‘tola’ (about 12 grams) gold to poor women at the time of marriage under ‘Sowbhagya Laxmi’ scheme.

The manifesto also promised subsidy to senior citizens for visiting Kailash Mansarovar, Kashi and Puri. Cows would be distributed free of cost every year at the time of festivals and other celebrations, the manifesto said.

Asserting that BJP would not see liquor sales as a source of revenue, the party promised regulation of sale of liquor. Restrictions would be imposed on the timings for its sale.

For law and order, surveillance cameras would be installed at vital places in large numbers across the state.

After sailing with Bharatiya Janata Party for nearly four years, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has divorced it and allied with the Congress party.

Now, he feels the Congress party is much better than BJP in terms of administration and protection of democracy in the country.

The TDP president, who has been conducting electioneering in Telangana for the last two days, had an informal interaction with select media persons at Park Hyatt on Thursday morning.

He spent over an hour with them, feeling nostalgic about his earlier stint and his association with Hyderabad media.

Naidu said there was no scope for freedom of expression in Telangana as well as at the national level.

“Both the TRS and the BJP governments have suppressed the voice of the media and kept them under control. Genuine media people are not able to raise their voice and if at all anybody raises, he is facing threat,” Naidu said.

Naidu said the situation has turned so much worse during the Modi regime that he was also hesitating to talk freely over his mobile phone.

“The Modi government has been intimidating everybody who speaks against it. There is no development, no freedom and no happiness in the country. During the Congress regime, there was no such a situation,” he said.

Naidu also found fault with Modi for attacking Sonia and Rahul in a heckling tone.

“This is not correct. You have to be humble and modest as you grow up in life. You should not stoop down to make comments that are below your dignity,” he said.

Asked to rate Rahul Gandhi, he said, “You have heard his speeches yesterday (in Hyderabad). What did you feel?”

He replied in affirmative when asked if Rahul would listen to his guidance and suggestions.

Bharatiya Janata Party official spokesman and Rajya Sabha member G V L Narasimha Rao, who does not lose any opportunity to take a dig at Telugu Desam Party and its president N Chandrababu Naidu, came out with yet another sensational demand on Thursday.

GVL filed a petition before with Ethics Committee Chairman Narayan Lal Pancharia seeking disqualification of two TDP members, Y S Chowdary alias Sujana Chowdary and CM Ramesh in the wake of serious allegations of massive financial bungling and fraud.

Describing the two TDP MPs as “the Mallyas of AP,” he alleged that the stature of Parliament and public faith in the institution was seriously damaged because of the cases.

“Rajya Sabha suffered a serious dent to its image because of the allegations against Vijay Mallya. The case of Sujana Chowdary is even more dangerous as his business operations remain shady. It seems thousands of crores were borrowed using political clout and patronage,” GVL said.

He also alleged that CM Ramesh was involved in benami operations and evaded income tax running into hundreds of crores of rupees.

“His public conduct has also been repugnant and unbecoming of a member of Parliament,” the BJP leader said.

He reminded that the ED had charged Sujana Chowdary with defrauding several public sector banks and registered FIRs against his companies.

“The ED investigations revealed that Chowdary’s companies borrowed Rs 5,700 crore from banks and diverted them to several shell companies,” he added.

“As it is the mandate of the Ethics Committee to ensure that members of Parliament maintain high standards of integrity, I am writing to you to examine my complaint and initiate suitable action against the two (TDP) members to ensure dignity and respect of Parliament is restored,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

He also wanted Chowdary to recuse himself from deliberations of the Ethics Committee as he was its member and the complaint pertains to him.

“The closeness the MPs in question enjoy with Chandrababu Naidu gives rise to suspicion that they are his benamis. It was only to protect his cronies that Chandrababu decided to bar the CBI from entering AP,” the MP alleged.