Praja Rajyam Party merges with Congress

NEW DELHI - Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) chief and famed Telugu actor Chiranjeevi on Sunday announced his party’s unconditional merger with the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress party here after ameeting at Gandhi’s official 10, Janpath residence.

Emerging after a 15-minute meeting with Gandhi, Chiranjeevi said the decision to merge was taken keeping in mind the “best interests” of the people of Andhra Pradesh as both Congress and PRP fight for social justice. We have decided to merge PRP with the Congress. The decision has been taken without any condition. There are no conditions at all,” Chiranjeevi told reporters outside Gandhi’s residence.

All Indian Congress Committee general secretary in-charge for Andhra Pradesh M Veerappa Moily said: Chiranjeevi has merged his party with the Congress. He has now become a member of the Congress family. I am quite happy.” efence Minister A K Antony, who had met Chiranjeevi in Hyderabad recently and invited him for talks with Gandhi, was also present at Sunday’s meeting.

Asked whether the move was to counter the threat posed by Congress rebel Y.S.Jaganmohan, Moily said “We are not against anybody. The move is just to strengthen the Congress. We are not against any personality.”

Chiranjeevi insisted that he had no “selfish motives” in effecting the merger between the PRP and the Congress party.

“I do not expect anything at all. Not at all. I will be what I am today,” he said in response to queries on whether he would join the N Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinet in Andhra Pradesh. (ANI)