Pawan Kalyan says he teared up hearing PM Modi being abused at Jantar Mantar

Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to forgive the “misguided” students who had abused him during the Jantar Mantar protests, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said he was moved to tears by the insults directed at the Prime Minister, and that it was the duty of citizens to acknowledge the Modi’s efforts for the nation’s growth. Speaking at the inauguration of the Bhogapuram airport on August 1, Saturday, where he shared the stage with Modi, Pawan Kalyan heaped praises on the Prime Minister and likened him to a hardworking family elder who bears the burden of criticism. “Stones are thrown only at fruit-bearing trees. Even in families, everyone attacks the hardworking husband or elder son. The harder you work, the more you are abused,” he said.Pawan Kalyan claimed that as a three-term PM, Modi was driving the nation’s growth, bringing it out of an era of economic crisis in just over a decade. “When many people said things they shouldn’t have about such a Prime Minister, I was very moved. I was in tears. I was hurt. Is this what we give to someone working hard for the nation? What does the younger generation know, how hard he worked? He never took a single day off.”He added, “We are getting so many investments that enemy nations and Western nations are envious of our development. The Prime Minister has to bear all this abuse while fighting foreign enemies, and internal enemies, while taking the nation forward on the path of development.”Pawan Kalyan said that people must support the PM by saying that any abuse targeted at him is the same as abusing his supporters too. Addressing parents, he said it was important to instill the right “samskaram” (culture) in children under the age of 25. “Running a family alone is so hard. Managing 140 crore people is not a small feat. Running a country is like ‘ramakaryam’ (Rama’s work). What the PM does is also such great work. What can we give Hanuman? All we can give any god is praise. They don’t wish for anything else from us. It’s the same with our parents. Similarly for the PM, who is working without taking time off, what we can give is to acknowledge that he worked hard for us. It is our duty,” he said. Referring to Modi’s Instagram reel, in which the Prime Minister said he wanted to forgive the students who had abused him during the Jantar Mantar protests, Pawan Kalyan said, “I want to salute him at his feet. His greatness is inspiring.”Modi's remarks came amid criticism over the Union government's response to the ongoing student protests at Jantar Mantar. While the Prime Minister said he had “forgiven” those who abused him, many women protesters have said they continue to face rape threats, coordinated online harassment, and police action linked to the protests.Jantar Mantar protests: Women face rape threats, abuse despite PM Modi's 'forgiveness'