Will Modi, Pawan meet help retain alliance?

Visakhapatnam: The sudden invitation from the BJP top leadership to Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter's visit to Visakhapatnam has sparked off speculation that it was an attempt to retain the BJP-JSP alliance after the 'power star' showed interest for fighting jointly with their erstwhile ally, Telugu Desam Party.

There is also buzz that Modi reportedly cautioned Pawan Kalyan not to join hands with TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu, as it will not help him realise his dream to become Chief Minister at least in 2029 elections. Despite a blow hot blow cold relationship, the YSRCP and the State government rolled out a red carpet to the Prime Minister. In fact, the YSRCP had deployed several Ministers and officials to oversee the arrangements for massive turnout at the Modi's meeting held at University Grounds.

Pawan Kalyan, popular as power star in Tollywood, who is a bitter critic of the Chief Minister of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, met Modi at the naval guest house late on Friday evening and had a closed-door meeting with the Prime Minister for about 30 minutes. It was his first meeting in eight years after he parted company from BJP-TDP alliance which fought together in 2014 polls post-bifurcation though JSP did not put up any candidate.

After he was declined permission to hold a roadshow in the city, day after his party leaders were arrested for an alleged assault on YSRCP leaders on October 15 after the Visakha Garjana programme in support of three-capital plan, Pawan Kalyan had a meeting with Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada where both the leaders declared the need for a united fight by the Opposition parties against what they termed 'undemocratic' policies of the YSRCP government.

The Naidu-Pawan Kalyan meeting was dubbed in political circles as a break of alliance by JSP with BJP. However, the invite sent to Pawan Kalyan to come to Visakhapatnam to meet the PM is believed to be an attempt to retain the alliance and evolve a mechanism for better coordination between the two parties.

Since alignment, both the parties have not organised any joint programmes. When Modi visited Bhimavaram sometime ago to unveil the statue of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitharama Raju, Pawan Kalyan did not attend the programme. However, his brother and megastar Chiranjeevi made an appearance and met the PM at Bhimavaram.

After his meeting with the PM, Pawan Kalyan said it was just a courtesy call. However, party leaders told Bizz Buzz on condition of anonymity that their leader briefed the PM on the political vendetta being pursued by the YSRCP government to stifle the voice of the Opposition leaders.

The PM as well as Pawan Kalyan later briefed their key leaders of their respective parties separately on what transpired at their meeting.