I will be voice of weavers: Pawan

​Mangalagiri: Jana Sena chief and actor Pawan Kalyan on Monday claimed to be a brand ambassador of handloom products with a promise for a greater role for the weaver community in the upcoming elections in 2019.

“As I already made it clear, I will be there in the thick of the poll battle and you will be with me,” he said, while addressing a rally named “Chenetha Gharjana.

“I will not only become the voice of weavers, but will also let them raise their voice in the Assembly on their own”, he stated.

He berated the state government for its alleged failure to keep its election promise to address the distress conditions prevailing in the artisan families. Pawan broke a Satyagraha programme launched by leaders from the weavers’ community before he addressed an impressive gathering here.

“If I wanted I could have become an ambassador for the corporate companies and earn crores of rupees. But my heart always beats for poor weavers”, he stated. The JSP chief promised to take the demand of weavers for political representation to its logical end.

PK raked up the special category status and launched a broadside against the Centre for allegedly riding roughshod over the sentiments of Andhra people on the issue.

Pawan Kalyan announced that his party will launch a website on March 14, on completion of three years of its formation, seeking opinions on policies on various subjects viz. agriculture, mining, irrigation etc. These views collected from different sections will be incorporated in the party manifesto which is on the anvil for presentation before the people in the upcoming 2019 elections.

Pawan said some people heckled at him asking why he was chosen as Brand Ambassador of handlooms as he is not the giver but only the plate cleaner. “I agree with those persons. I feel proud to be a cleaner. I came into politics to cleanse the stables. Iam not a power monger. I will fight for the downtrodden people till I breathe my last,” he averred.

While slamming the AP and Telangana governments for not fulfilling their election promises, he warned that if the farmer and weaver were cheated, the governments will not survive. “I feel satisfied by becoming the brand ambassador of handloom weavers, who are struggling hard for their livelihood,” Pawan said with all the contentment.

Handloom weavers are being treated as workers. As a matter of fact, they are artists with an in-built wealth of creativity and innovation, he said. There are so many acts to insulate handloom products from the threat of power looms. But they all failed to come to the rescue of hapless weavers due to the alleged indifference on the part of governments, he criticized.

Pawan turned nostalgic and recalled his childhood days at Tenali where his father worked as a police constable for sometime. He reminisced his association with boys of his age from the weavers. He said he used to accept lunch offered by the poor weaver friends

He demanded the government encourage children from weaver families who are excelling in studies in the form of cash incentives and bring out innate talent in them in cricket and tennis and the other sports. He also said that medical facilities and pensions should be provided to the elderly persons of the weavers families.