This Article is From Apr 23, 2014

Chandrababu visits actor-politician Pawan Kalyan to break the ice

Chandrababu visits actor-politician Pawan Kalyan to break the ice

File photo of Chandrababu Naidu

Hyderabad: In the Hyderabadi heat, the vibe was Antarctic-like on the stage that was shared by Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, the star who launched his own party ahead of this election and pledged his support for the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

Mr Naidu, chief of the regional Telugu Desam Party, found no mention in the speech given by Mr Kalyan at yesterday's rally which was attended by both leaders and Mr Modi. Mr Kalyan professed that his "Jana Sena Party is in fact a Modi sena."

Today, there was an attempt to course correct. Mr Naidu, 64, visited Mr Kalyan, Telugu cinema's top star, at his home today, delivering the desired result. The actor declared that his Jana Sena Party will throw its weight not just behind Mr Modi, but the coalition led by the BJP, of which Mr Naidu is an important member.

Mr Kalyan's party is not contesting any seat in this election but he has a massive fan base and is a popular youth icon in both Telangana and Seemandhra, granting him VIP treatment from far more seasoned politicians.

Mr Kalyan was reportedly upset that a close friend of his, industrialist Potluri Vara Prasad, had not been selected as a candidate for the parliamentary election by Mr Naidu. There has been speculation that PVP helped fund Mr Kalyan's political party.

Mr Kalyan's older brother, Chiranjeevi, who also moved from cinema to politics, is on the other side of the political divide. In 2011, he merged his Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress and has been defending the party's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh by carving out the region of Telangana as India's 29th state. That plan has constructed a huge anti-Congress wave in the regions of Seemandhra, which will form the downsized residuary state.
 
.