Hyderabad: Actor-turned politician Pawan Kalyan, back in NDA after his solo venture in election did not pay off, told NDTV today that one needs to be persistent to succeed in public life. "Popularity in films do not immediately translate into votes," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
People, he said, are wary. "Just because one is good is one field does not mean he would be equally good in another," he said. The gains become "incremental," he added.
Pawan Kalyan also told NDTV that the BJP is not anti-Muslim. "I tell Muslims openly. The BJP is not anti-Muslim. It is pro-Hindutva. They have a greater role to play. They have to take care of the constitutional guidelines and constitutional framework.They have no vendetta against any community. At least here I don't see it," he added.
About how he brought the BJP and Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party together in Andhra Pradesh despite their acrimonious break five years ago, Pawan Kalyan said he had to make sacrifices to make the alliance happen.
This, he said, is more about "strategic understanding". "To feel within, come for a cause, I''m always ready," he said. But this, he added, was needed as "liberty is at stake in Andhra Pradesh".