Fact Check: AP Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan did not threaten to ‘Scrape the Skin’ DMK MLAs

Pawan Kalyan, a prominent film actor in the Telugu industry and the younger brother of megastar Chiranjeevi, is the founder and president of the Jana Sena Party (JSP). Known for his fiery speeches and strong political views, he is a key figure in Andhra Pradesh politics. Over the years, he has built a considerable following among youth and has been vocal against corruption and misgovernance.

A video featuring Telugu actor and politician Pawan Kalyan has gone viral on social media with claims that he threatened to “scrape the skin off DMK MLAs.” Users sharing the video alleged that Pawan Kalyan issued this warning to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) legislators during one of his public meetings. The viral clip shows him angrily holding a slipper and warning political opponents, which many social media users misinterpreted as a threat directed at DMK leaders.

The users shared the viral video with the caption in Tamil “"எத்தனை திமுக எம்எல்ஏ-க்கள் வர்றீங்களோ வாங்க, தோல உரிச்சு தொங்க விட்ருவேன்" - ஆந்திர துணைமுதல்வர் பவன் கல்யாண் அவர்கள். தமிழக பாஜகவிற்கு இவரைப் போன்ற ஒரு ஆள்தான் தேவை! #PawanKalyan” when translated claims “How many DMK MLAs are you bringing? Come on, I'll skin you and hang you up" - Andhra Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan sir. Tamil Nadu BJP needs someone just like him! #PawanKalyan”

Here is the screenshot of the claim link.

Fact Check:

The viral claim is misleading. The video circulating on social platforms is real, but it has been falsely linked to the DMK.

When we extracted keyframes from the viral video and searched using Google reverse image search, and also using the keywords from the video, we found a longer version of the video published on the official youtube channel of Janasena party on October 18, 2022. We can see the viral part from 14.46 mins.

The original incident took place in October 2022, when Pawan Kalyan addressed Jana Sena Party cadres in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. During the event, he reacted sharply to derogatory remarks made by YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders, who had been calling him a “package star.” In response, Pawan Kalyan displayed a slipper and warned YSRCP members not to mock him. His statements were aimed solely at YSRCP leaders, not DMK MLAs.

According to The News Minute article titled “Pawan Kalyan launches tirade against YSRCP leaders, raises slipper to warn them,” Pawan Kalyan launched a bitter attack on YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), by saying that if anybody calls him 'package star' he will beat them up with his slippers. He lashed out at YSRCP leaders for using abusive language and questioning his income sources. Pawan Kalyan removed one of his slippers in the middle of his speech and showed it while giving a strong warning to 'YSRCP goons'.

An article published in Deccan Herald also reported that Pawan Kalyan displayed a slipper while warning YSRCP leaders against making “package star” remarks.

Newschecker Tamil also debunked this claim and stated that the video of AP deputy CM Pawan Kalyan is shared with a misleading claim.

Therefore, the claim that Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan threatened DMK MLAs is Misleading. He was talking about YSRCP leaders. The aggressive speech was directed towards YSRCP leaders, not DMK MLAs.