Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has taken on ally Telugu Desam Party's Home Minister Anitha, accusing her of incompetence. He warned that unless there is improvement, he would be forced to "take over the home department as well".
His warning came as crimes against women in the state saw a spike. After a three-year-old was sexually assaulted yesterday, the actor-politician said "peace and security has markedly deteriorated in Andhra Pradesh" and law and order has to be handled the way it is done in Yogi Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh.
"I am telling home minister Anitha too. You are the Home Minister. I am the Panchayati Raj minister, Forest and Environment minister. Discharge your duties well or I will be forced to take over home department as well," he said at a rally in his constituency Pithapuram.
"You need to be like Yogi Adityanath... Political leaders, MLAs are not just here to ask for votes. You have responsibilities too. Everybody needs to think... It is not that I cannot ask for or take the home department. If I do, things will be very different for these people. We have to be like Yogi Adityanath. Otherwise they won't change. So decide if you will change or not," he added, to huge cheers from the audience.
The public criticism has set off speculation about a rift. But P Narayan, another senior minister in Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's cabinet, has said that as the Deputy Chief Minister, Pawan Kalyan has the right to point out mistakes and set ministers on the right track.
The Jana Sena chief, who has taken pro-right approach, recently announced the formation of 'Narasimha Varahi Brigade,' a dedicated wing within his party aimed at protecting Sanatana Dharma.
"I respect all religions, but I stand firm on my faith. Those who criticise Sanatana Dharma on social media or speak disrespectfully about it will have to face the consequences," he had said on Saturday.
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