Battle of brothers: It's Chiranjeevi vs Pawan Kalyan in Andhra Pradesh

Pawan Kalyan (left) and his elder brother Union minister K. Chiranjeevi.

A new chapter is being written in the chronicle of sibling rivalries and battles for succession that have been a hallmark of Indian politics for decades. Just three days after the Congress appointed film star-turned-Union minister K. Chiranjeevi as its election chief for Andhra Pradesh, his younger brother, 'Power Star' actor Pawan Kalyan, sounded the war cry, 'Congress hatao, desh bachao', while launching his Jana Sena.

The slogan came at the end of a dramatic 132-minute speech on March 14 before an invited audience of fans in which Pawan ridiculed the Congress for dividing Andhra Pradesh. He struck a chord with the youth by narrating incidents from his student days to highlight social inequality. "I've always felt frustrated at not being able to do anything. Jana Sena will ensure that law equally applies to all," he said, vowing to defeat the Congress, and by extension his deeply embarrassed brother, in every constituency.

As Chiranjeevi tries to come to terms with this bolt from the blue, the Jana Sena founder is fast emerging as a star campaigner for those opposed to Congress' rule in Andhra. After Pawan said he was willing to work with any other party, BJP's state leadership hurriedly set up his meeting with prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad on March 21. As things stand, Jan Sena is expected to join hands with former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam and BJP in a bid to rout the Congress.

The launch of the Jana Sena is set to alter political equations in the state, especially in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema. "This really throws a spanner in our works," conceded a senior leader of the YSR Congress, the other big party in the state led by Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, pointing out that they will come under greater pressure to retain the support of youth.

Though Pawan has spared his brother while targeting the Congress, the battle lines are clearly drawn between them. "It is my misfortune that I am standing against my elder brother. He will always remain in my heart," Pawan said, giving Chiranjeevi a clean chit on the bifurcation of the state while going hard against Congress leaders, including vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Chiranjeevi is rebutting Pawan's criticism by pointing out the indestructibility of the Congress. On a week-long bus tour of the 13 districts of Seemandhra from March 21, he spent time explaining the virtues of the grand old party and pointing out how his brother is ill-advised.

Star crossed As actors, Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan are poles apart Chiranjeevi, 58 advertisement Konidela Siva Shankara Vara Prasad has a cautious attitude to everything, including his movies The 'Mega Star' relies on the 'formulae' to deliver box office hits. Banks on big budgets, targeted releases in specific regions. Has acted in 149 movies since 1978, including three each in Hindi and Kannada and two in Tamil. Has also been an occasional producer.

Pawan Kalyan, 42 Konidela Kalyan Kumar says he is a 'non-conformist' influenced by Che Guevara, Jiddu Krishnamurthi. The 'Power Star' insists on strong scripts with a touch of realism. Has old hit Telugu songs in his films. Cuts down his fee if the film bombs and producer suffers loss. Has acted in 19 films since 1996, directed one, sung for at least six and coordinated stunts for seven.

"Many parties and leaders in the past boasted that they could destroy the Congress. But the party has survived for 127 years. Some leaders said they would throw the Congress into the Bay of Bengal. Did that happen? Jana Sena will also fail in its attempt to put down the Congress. The Congress is the only party that practices secularism and social justice," Chiranjeevi said. "The Congress alone is not responsible for division. Pawan should have spoken about the role of other parties before pointing a finger at us."

The unkindest cut for Chiranjeevi was Pawan's decision to meet Modi, the man he holds responsible for the 2002 Gujarat riots. "Rajnath Singh tried to give some clarification for the riots but Modi neither gave an explanation nor apologised. I wonder if my brother knows this," says the Congress campaign chief, whose problems have multiplied now that the party is finding it difficult to get resourceful and influential candidates for the 25 Lok Sabha and 175 seat legislative Assembly seats for the May 7 polls.

Pawan, meanwhile, emphasises that his only agenda is to uproot the Congress. He says he was drawn to politics by the UPA government's decision to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, and the changing realities in the region are now conducive for him to achieve his goal. As a first step, the Jana Sena has called another meeting in the port city of Visakahpatnam on March 27 with the battle-cry, "Youth of the nation, fight for the nation". Like the March 14 meeting, this one too will be televised live across the state. A former chief of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Praja Rajyam Party, which Chiranjeevi had founded in the run up to the 2009 elections, Pawan appreciates the role of young people in politics. He had vehemently opposed the party's tacit understanding with the Congress and, later, Chiranjeevi's decision to merge it with the grand old party in 2011. The PRP, Pawan believes, could have held its own and emerged as a major force by 2014. It's on this issue that the relationship between the brothers soured.

Pawan's political foray, however, has not gone down well with others in the family. K. Nagendra Babu, the second of the three siblings, distanced the family from the Jana Sena venture. "We will stand by Chiranjeevi," Babu said, emphasising the entire family was behind the older brother. But there are streaks to Pawan's personality that the family grudgingly admires. "He has always dreamt of doing something for the society. He spoke always with emotion," says Chiranjeevi.

Playing the role of a possible game-changer in 2014, Pawan is preparing to consolidate Jana Sena's position for the long term. With one of every four persons in Seemandhra from his Kapu community, the 'Power Star' is laying the ground to capture political power in the 2019 elections-even if it is at the expense of his brother.

Follow the writer on Twitter @AmarnathKMenon