Former CBI Joint Director and Jana Sena Party candidate for the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency V.V. Lakshminarayana sound confident of the party fairing well in the elections.

Addressing his first election meeting here on Friday, Mr. Lakshminarayana went on to say that party president Pawan Kalyan will occupy the Chief Minister’s chair on May 23 when the results of the elections would be declared.

‘Youth need jobs, not pension’

Referring to the youth, he said, “India will have the youngest population whose average age will be 28 by 2025, and this demographic dividend needs to be harnessed and guided. But unfortunately, we do not have the leadership at present that can do it. But the JSP is committed to guiding the youth in the right direction, to make the country and the State proud.”

Taking a dig at Chief Minister N. Chandrbabu Naidu’s ‘Yuvanestham’ scheme that offered ₹2,000 to all unemployed youth, he said, “The youth need jobs, not pension.”

Land scam

Mr. Lakshminarayna, who is popularly known as JD, also spoke about the land scam in Visakhapatnam.

“I am appalled by the extent of land scam in Visakhapatnam. I am more disturbed to note that not much has been done on the SIT report. It is time to set things right,” he said.

Referring to a question on his local and non-local status, he said, “I have quit my IPS job to become a full-time politician and not a part-time one. Most of the politicians today are businessmen, for whom business is full-time and politics is part-time. To clear the clouds of doubt in the minds of people, I am ready to sign on a bond paper that I shall be accessible 24/7.”

Referring to the fishermen community, who comprise a major chunk in Visakhapatnam, Mr. Lakshminarayana recalled how a fisherman saved the city from the attack of Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi in 1971.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Lakshminarayana inaugurated the office of Visakha East Assembly segment candidate Kona Tata Rao at Lawson’s Bay Colony.