Chiranjeevi\'s PRP rules out merger with Congress, but game for tie-up

PRP ties up with Congress in AP•Naidu happy as Congress and Chiru get closer•PRP workers attack TV channelFile photo of K. Chiranjeevi.The Praja Rajyam Party ( PRP) floated by matinee idol K. Chiranjeevi in August 2008 may merge with the Congress, though not immediately.

Chiranjeevi held a meeting with his party MLAs and senior leaders on Tuesday to discuss the merger proposal put forth by senior Congress leader and defence minister A. K. Antony.

Antony reportedly presented a set of options to Chiranjeevi, which included merger of the PRP with the Congress or accepting cabinet berths at the Centre and in the state and poll tie- up.

However, senior PRP leaders are believed to have vetoed the merger proposal and instead favoured a tie- up. The PRP chief is expected to meet Sonia Gandhi in Delhi next week and discuss the proposal of an alliance.

\" There is no plan for merger as of now. The Congress president has invited Chiranjeevi for further talks on strengthening the ties,\" PRP spokesman G. S. Rao said.

Another party leader, however, said: \" The merger possibility is not ruled out completely.

It will not take place soon, but may happen before the 2014 polls.\" Senior PRP leaders reportedly feel the party is unlikely to benefit from its merger with the Congress at this juncture. There is no guarantee that the Congress will come back to power in 2014. They are said to have suggested that the best option was to extend unconditional support to the Congress. \" If its position improves in the next three years, we can think about a merger,\" a party leader said


News From: http://www.7StarNews.com