YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s strong retort to the opposition parties on their hypocrisy on introduction of English medium in government schools has triggered an uproar in the political circles.
While defending his decision, Jagan, in his usual style, took pot shots at Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan and even Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidy for opposing the English medium in schools.
What led to the uproar was Jagan’s poser on Pawan Kalyan as to what medium his four or five children were studying. In the process, Jagan had referred to Pawan’s three marriages.
“He has three wives and must be having four or five children. Where are they studying, if not in English medium schools?” he asked.
Obviously, Pawan was terribly hurt with Jagan’s comments, what he described as an attack on his personal life. His social media unit reacted immediately through twitter.
“Is it true that your gang of thieves had consumed jail food only because of Pawan Kalyan’s multiple marriages?” it asked.
Though it was also a direct and personal attack on Jagan, the Jana Sena chief sought to create an impression that he was maintaining utmost restraint on the chief minister’s comments.
His party issued a statement, making an appeal to the party cadre not to react to Jagan’s remarks on Pawan Kalyan’s personal life.
“This was obviously to divert the people’s attention from the fight taken up by Pawan Kalyan in support of construction workers. It is indeed very hurting to see the chief minister making personal comments on Pawan, who is only questioning his policies. Yet, let us bear with them for the sake of people’s welfare. Pawan Kalyan will respond to every criticism during his visit to Vijayawada on Tuesday,” the statement said.