The Hindu : Front Page : Congress plans long-term tie-up with Praja Rajyam

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Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009
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Congress plans long-term tie-up with Praja Rajyam

Special Correspondent

‘Top leaders in New Delhi favour Congress-PR partnership’
PR’s political affairs panel favours ‘conditional relationship’

HYDERABAD: Unfazed by the ‘U’ turn it made over the move to forge an alliance with the Praja Rajyam, the Congress leadership is said to have decided to continue efforts for friendly ties in the long-term interests of the ruling party.

Though the present alliance for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections is off, top leaders do not rule out roping in the PR in future as its partner. Notwithstanding the strong opposition from YSR loyalists, the Congress leadership has not lost hope and wants to wait for an opportune time to bring the PR to its side.

“The central leadership has only said the alliance for the GHMC elections is over,” a senior APCC functionary said, adding that top leaders in New Delhi favoured the Congress-PR partnership. The leader reasoned that it was necessary for the party to tap the PR which has 18 MLAs, given the slender margin the ruling party has in the Assembly. “If the alliance had materialised, merger of PR with Congress would have been the next step,” the APCC leader observed.

He also said it was in the presence of AICC general secretary M. Veerappa Moily that K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, a close aide of YSR, referred to PR’s keenness to align with the Congress in the GHMC elections. Mr. Moily is arriving here on Wednesday to oversee selection of candidates.

DS takes responsibility

In an informal chat with reporters on Tuesday, APCC president D. Srinivas said he owned up full responsibility for the alliance not fructifying and it was not right to blame PR chief Chiranjeevi or other leaders.

The PR too confirmed that the Congress high command was interested in continuing the ‘friendship’ despite the aborted alliance. It is learnt that Mr. Moily telephoned Mr. Chiranjeevi on Tuesday and expressed the hope that the two parties could be ‘friends’. Mr. Moily is said to have admitted that pressure from a section in the Congress led to failure of the alliance. Mr. Chiranjeevi discussed the failed attempt with his party legislators on Tuesday. It is understood that the PR’s political affairs committee on Monday favoured a ‘conditional relationship’ which protected the interests of the party legislators in the present House and in the 2014 elections.

Beeline to camp office

Meanwhile, followers of YSR continued to make a beeline to the camp office. Ministers – P. Sabitha Indra Reddy, B. Srinivasulu Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Danam Nagender met Congress MP Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

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