INTERVIEW | If we are TDP's B team, then the YSRC is C team: Jana Sena's Nadendla Manohar

Manohar, who is contesting from the Tenali Assembly seat again, went candid with KV Ramana and said his sole aim is to improve basic facilities in his constituency.
Jana Sena leader Nadendla Manohar (Photo | EPS)
Jana Sena leader Nadendla Manohar (Photo | EPS)

Ridiculing the YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy for calling his party the TDP’s ‘B team’, former Assembly Speaker and senior Jana Sena leader Nadendla Manohar said the JSP entered the election arena for the future of people and not for doling out short-term sops to them. Manohar won the Tenali seat twice (in 2004 and 2009) on Congress ticket against his rivals TDP Gogineni Uma and Alapati Rajendra Prasad, but lost in the 2014 polls. Manohar, who is contesting from the Tenali Assembly seat again, went candid with KV Ramana and said his sole aim is to improve basic facilities in his constituency.

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused Jana Sena of being the TDP’s ‘B team’. How would you react to that?

It is ridiculous and politically motivated. If the JSP is the TDP’s ‘B team’, then the YSRC is its ‘C team’. The YSRC started a fake campaign on social media against the Jana Sena a few months ago. It is now defaming my party to gain political mileage. Of late, the YSRC is not questioning the State government and targeting the Jana Sena.

The Jana Sena stands for the new-age politics and we are fighting for the issues of the public to ensure their bright future. We are contesting the elections by forming an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and Communist parties. As part of which, we are sharing the seats with them.

You seem to have softened your stance against Naidu. Is that why Jagan is calling your party the TDP’s ‘B team’?

We have not spared the ruling TDP. Pawan Kalyan has questioned corruption and illegalities by the ruling party on numerous occasions. We have questioned the nepotism in the TDP government several times. Every political party has its own political agenda and the YSRC cannot dictate terms to us. We have no love towards any of the parties and will not spare the TDP for its wrongdoings. The YSRC, which has also indulged in numerous corruptions, has no right to criticise the Jana Sena.

Do people seek change of government this time?

The public are up in arms against the corrupt TDP without a doubt. For instance, illegal sand mining on a large scale was seen during the party’s regime. This has put a huge impact on the groundwater level, which was available at 15-20 meters deep in Kollipara on the Krishna river banks in Tenali, but now one has to dig 130-140 metre to get water. We will not allow the robbing of public wealth and will continue our fight against corruption.
 
How are the prospects of the Jana Sena, which is making its electoral debut on April 11, as various surveys predict that it is either the TDP or the YSRC which will bag majority of the seats?

We are in the political arena to gain long-term goals. The public, mainly women and the youth, are working with us in our election campaign voluntarily. Negative results won’t disappoint us. Our party people are learning about the strategies and already planning for the future elections.

What promises have you made to the people to fulfil if your party is voted to power?

People’s response towards us has been good during our campaigning in Tenali, especially in the villages. I have constructed government offices, widened roads in Tenali during my tenure as MLA. I also have prepared a project report for the underground drainage system in Tenali. I would like to improve the basic amenities in the town and turn it into a model municipality.

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