Chiranjeevi’s PRP joins Congress
By IANSSunday, February 6, 2011
NEW DELHI - Telugu superstar K. Chiranjeevi Sunday announced the merger of his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) with the Congress after a meeting with Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi here.
The actor-turned-politician said there was “no opposition” from within his three-year-old Andhra regional party to the merger.
“PRP will now merge with Congress. As of now, Chiranjeevi is part of Congress family,” Union Law Minister, M. Veerappa Moily told reporters here, with the Telegu superstar Chiranjeevi standing by his side.
Asked if he expected a cabinet berth, Chiranjeevi said, “I don’t expect anything. It is their (Congress) duty to allocate…”
The meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Chiranjeevi Sunday took place at the invitation of the Congress president.
The Congress has been worried over the threat posed by former party MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy to its government in Andhra Pradesh and had been trying to woo the PRP to either merge with it or join the government.
The PRP has 18 legislators in the 294-member Andhra Pradesh assembly. The Congress with 156 members, enjoyed a slender majority.
