Pawan Kalyan asks Centre to respect subnational identity

Leading Telugu actor and Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan has urged the Central government to respect sub-national identity, warning that failure to do so could lead to separatist movements.

"If the Centre doesn't respect the subnational identity in a country like ours, which is known for its cultural, linguistic & ethnic diversity then .. they are creating a fertile breeding grounds for separatist movements," he tweeted on Monday.

"North Indian political leadership should understand & respect the cultural diversity of our country," he tweeted while posting newspaper articles about "Hindi chauvinism".

This is latest in a series of tweets by the actor targeting the Central government over the issue of north-south divide.

Pawan has already announced that Jana Sena will contest next elections in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

On April 13, he had appealed to all south Indian political parties to join hands and fight the "biased attitude" of north Indian leadership.

He had launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its former MP Tarun Vijay's remarks about the skin colour of south Indians.

"To BJP leadership and to Tarun Vijay: We are in 'Down South' and we are foundation of this Nation, not your 'Up North' political leadership foot stand," tweeted Pawan, who campaigned for BJP-TDP alliance in the 2014 election, last year but distanced himself from the coalition after the Centre refused to accord special status to Andhra Pradesh.

--IANS

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