Declaring that he was forced to launch a party as the late Y.S. Rajasekhar’s government was corrupt, Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) chief Chiranjeevi on Sunday said, “Corruption was at its worst only during the reign of the late YSR.”
Patting the Congress, he added, “Whenever there was a serious charge — be it the commonwealth, Adarsh or the 2G spectrum scam — the Congress has always taken action.”
Senior leaders M. Veerappa Moily and A.K. Antony were present during his meeting with Mrs Sonia Gandhi.
When asked if his move will have the backing of his party’s office-bearers and cadres, the Telugu superstar answered in the affirmative. He said, “My party has passed a resolution authorising me to take a decision. Armed with it, I have decided to merge the PRP with the Congress. It is a historic occasion.”
Making it amply clear that he had not sought any favours in return from Mrs Gandhi, he said, “Our merger is unconditional. We are not bothered about what we are going to get. We are concerned only about what people will get. We are concerned about their betterment.”
General secretary and Andhra in-charge M. Veerappa Moily said, “Chiranjeevi is a great asset to the Congress, nationally and in Andhra Pradesh. Now he has become a member of the Congress family.”
When Dr Moily was questioned if the merger was effected to counter the threat of Jaganmohan, he shot back saying, “The move is strengthen the Congress in the state. We are not against any individual. It is not against any personality. Chiranjeevi is fighting against poverty and we want him to be with us.”
Mr Chiranjeevi, when asked about what he discussed in the meeting with Mrs Gandhi, said, “I discussed various issues like Polavaram project, the uplift of the downtrodden, deprived, well-being of farmers and artisans.”