Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said Tuesday that she took Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan’s recent comments on the state’s law and order situation “positively.” The JSP and Anitha’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, are allies.
Anitha’s remarks came in response to Kalyan’s criticism a day earlier, in which he had raised concerns over the worsening law and order in the state and the rise in violence against women. Kalyan’s comments followed a string of incidents, including the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Tirupati district, which sparked public outcry.
“I took his (Kalyan’s) comments positively,” Anitha told reporters. “His press meet was, in fact, encouraging. He provided a supportive foundation for my work and urged me to be more assertive, which is what he communicated.”
Anitha said that Kalyan had not labelled her a failure. She said she had spoken to Kalyan, who clarified that his remarks were directed at the alleged registration of caste-based cases under the previous YSRCP government, not her handling of the current law and order situation.
The Home Minister reaffirmed that Andhra Pradesh was committed to maintaining law and order, noting that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was “serious” about ensuring that anyone contemplating a crime should fear the consequences. “The CM said we will bring special laws to deter criminal behaviour,” she said.
Anitha also defended Kalyan, who holds the Deputy Chief Minister’s position, against political attacks, asserting that some people were “unnecessarily politicising” the issue.
Kalyan had suggested that the law and order situation in the state might improve if he were the Home Minister, which was seen by many as a direct criticism of Anitha’s handling of the portfolio.
In response, YSRCP leader B. Rajendranath questioned Kalyan’s remarks, asking, “Whom are you (Kalyan) questioning? You are in power. You are the Deputy Chief Minister. Are you questioning yourself, your government, a particular minister, the CM, or the police department?”
Rajendranath noted that while Anitha oversees the Home Department, law and order ultimately falls under the purview of the Chief Minister, and he urged Kalyan to focus on addressing crime effectively.
Former Tourism Minister and YSRCP leader R.K. Roja took a harsher stance, suggesting that Kalyan’s comments reflected a “failure” on the part of both the Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister, adding that Anitha had become “useless.”