Hyderabad: The ruling Congress Legislature
Party (CLP) in Andhra Pradesh Thursday passed a unanimous
resolution for formal merger of actor-turned-politician
Chiranjeevi-led Praja Rajyam Party with Congress in the
assembly.
"Praja Rajyam has already merged with Congress. As per
Election Commission’s directives, CLP today passed a unanimous
resolution for the technical merger of Praja Rajyam with
Congress inside the assembly", said the resolution.
The resolution invited PRP MLAs led by Chiranjeevi into
Congress, Congress Chief Whip Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy told
reporters after the CLP meeting tonight.
Praja Rajyam Party had been a separate entity inside the
assembly and its members continued to sit separately.
The CLP?s resolution will be communicated to the Assembly
Speaker.
Two Praja Rajyam legislators recently joined Chief
Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy?s cabinet.
The CLP meeting was attended by 126 MLAs, 35 MLCs, nine
Lok Sabha members and two Rajya Sabha members, Reddy said.
Meanwhile, the Telangana statehood issue had its echo in
the CLP meeting with Congress Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar
Ponnam Prabhakar alleging discrimination of the region in
matters of development.
"Discrimination should not be shown towards Telangana.
The national highways, setting up of a nursing college in
Karimnagar as assured by the Chief Minister, establishing a
premier government hospital in the region are some of the
examples of discrimination towards Telangana", he told
reporters separately.
The government should convey the aspirations of Telangana
people and the true picture over the separate statehood
agitation to the Centre, Prabhakar said.
Asked if the Chief Minister was not conveying properly to
the Centre, he said he did not talk about the Chief Minister
individually.
The state leadership should not say merely that it is for
the Centre to take a decision on Telangana issue, he said.
The Jagan factor also came up for discussion in the CLP
meeting, being held after a long gap, with some MLAs
reportedly pointing out that the sharp criticism from the
Kadapa MP?s camp needed to be responded more effectively.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 16, 2012, 23:15