PRP to decentralise organisational structure

Party to hold a massive dharna on Feb. 18 against price rise

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Plans are being made to involve local leadership

Party has decided to intensify public agitations in various constituencies

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GUNTUR: Buoyed by the overwhelming public response to the six-day Praja Ankita Yatra of party president K. Chiranjeevi, the Praja Rajyam Party has decided to intensify public agitations in various constituencies. The top brass of the party has also decided to decentralise party’s organisational committees. A joint convener assisted by a co-convener would take up the responsibility of coordinating programmes in five constituencies each.

Addressing a media conference here on Sunday, former MLA and district in-chrage S.A. Rehman said that the party would kick off its agitation programmes with a dharna against rise in prices on February 18, followed up various agitation programmes at local-level. “We want to decentralise the organisational structure and involve local leadership,” Mr. Rehman said.

Party’s district convener Sankuratri Rama Rao said that the overwhelming response, particularly women and youth, was indicative of a ‘silent revolution’ sweeping across the district. He said that the unprecedented response among the people of Backward Classes was sending shivers in the spines of Congress and Telugu Desam Party leaders.

Befitting lesson

“The two parties have gone hysterical ever since Chiranjeevi began his tour here and the tremendous response has created a panic in their party circles,” he said.

Urban convener Kilaru Rosaiah said that the successful tour would teach a befitting lesson to those who made fun of Chiranjeevi. “Some even said that PRP would not be able to open account in the district. People would know in a couple of months the capability of the party,” he said.

He said that the TDP, which had been harping on the welfare of BCs, has exploited the BCs by allotting just one seat, Kuchinapudi, to BCs. He expressed the confidence that the disgruntled sections in BC, SC and ST would rally around PRP in the coming elections.

Party’s official representative Kosuru Venkat, Mahila Wing leaders were present.

EAMCET application forms

GUNTUR: Application forms for EAMCET-2009 are available at all Head Post Offices and E-Seva Centres in Guntur district through a payment of Rs.250 from Monday and filled-in application formswill be received at Regional Coordinator’s office at SVN Colony till March 18.

Regional Coordinator Ravindra Babu said in a release that OMR/ICR sheet would be given with instruction booklet. Contact over phone No.0863-2232505 for further details.

104 servies

104 Ambulance service launched

SANGAREDDY: Collector Peeyush Kumar on Sunday called upon the people to use the services of ‘104 Ambulance services’ that would be made available in the villages from this month. After formally launching these services at Sangareddy, Mr. Peeyush Kumar said that these ambulances stored with medicines will meet the requirement of about 100 patients.

PR for CBI probe into scams Special Correspondent - Photo: G. Krishnaswamy Seeking intervention: PR president Chiranjeevi meeting Governor N.D. Tiwari in Hyderabad on Sunday.

HYDERABAD: Praja Rajyam president K. Chiranjeevi has urged Governor N.D. Tiwari to intervene and direct Government to order inquiries by the Central Bureau of Investigation and sitting Supreme Court judge into the murky affairs of the Satyam and its other companies.

Leading a party delegation and calling on the Governor at the Raj Bhavan here on Sunday evening, Mr. Chiranjeevi also wanted the enquiry to look into the allegations of financial irregularities and violation of fiscal laws by Jagathi Publications owned by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s son Y .S. Jaganmohan Reddy and Heritage Foods, run by former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s wife N. Bhuvaneswari.

Submitting a memorandum, the Praja Rajyam chief said the State was now confronted with an extraordinary crisis, the gravity of which was sought to be downplayed by the ruling party, while the Leader of the Opposition was himself engulfed by charges of corruption. He said that in what was a scale of unprecedented proportions, the unholy ruling party - corporate nexus, fuelled by greed for personal aggrandisement, was pushing the economy to the brink of collapse. The situation needed immediate attention and steps to contain and undo the serious damage, he added. Mr. Chiranjeevi urged the Governor to invoke constitutional authority vested in him to order judicial enquiry on the issue.

Muslims urged to shed ‘minority syndrome’

Special Correspondent

Hyderabad: K. Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, asked Muslims to shed the ‘minority syndrome’ and consider themselves as the second largest majority of the country. A change in their mindset was necessary for the community to look ahead, he said.

“Muslims ought to define their role in the democratic set-up – how they can empower themselves and contribute to society,” Mr. Khan said. He was taking part in the felicitation function organised in connection with the release of former Calicut University’s Vice Chancellor, Syed Iqbal Hasnain’s book, ‘Muslims of North India Frozen in the Past’, here on Sunday. Addressing a galaxy of Muslim intellectuals, Mr. Rahman said Muslims were excelling individually in different fields but collectively they were not able to achieve much. He cited the example of the Lingayat community in Karnataka and said a mere 16 per cent population had 38 per cent representation in the government. There were religious differences and economic disparities in the community but it believed in consensus and hard work.

Mr. Rahman complimented the good work being done by MESCO and Madina Educational Society and said these institutions had not developed by favouritism but by determination. Similarly, the Nadwa had set up the Integral University in Lucknow. There was no point getting bogged down with Jamia, Hamdard, minority character, Urdu or Babri Masjid. “This is an era of comparison. Don’t shut your eyes to what is happening around,” Mr. Rahman told the community.

Praja Rajyam rally for common symbol

PR campaigns in Ashoknagar Special Correspondent

KADAPA: Praja Rajyam functionaries canvassed from door to door and distributed party pamphlets in Ashoknagar area here on Monday.

PR leaders S.A. Khaleel Basha, B. Hariprasad, V.P. Narayanaswamy, Nazeer Ahmed, V.V. Chalapathi, N. Srinivasulu, Udayasri and P. Chandrasekhar called upon people and urged them to vote for the party which would bring out a desirable change.

They accused the government of failing to curb the rising prices and alleged that rates would increase manifold if Congress regains power.

The functionaries later organised community dining in the area.

Praja Rajyam rally for common symbol

KADAPA: Praja Rajyam functionaries will take out a rally from the party office to the Collectorate on February 18 demanding allotment of a common symbol to party contestants, its district co-convenor V.P. Narayanaswamy said on Monday. Praja Rajyam would contest from 292 Assembly constituencies and would win 225 seats in the ensuing elections, Mr. Narayanaswamy said in a statement. Congress and TDP were obstructing allotment of common symbol to PR, he alleged. -Special Correspondent

Mahila Rajyam protests price rise

Mahila Rajyam protests price rise

Women members stage a dharna in front of the Collectorate

Focus on essentials: Mahila Rajyam functionaries staging a dharna before the Kadapa Collectorate on Friday.

KADAPA: Mahila Rajyam functionaries staged a dharna at the Collectorate on Friday deploring the steep rise in the prices of essential commodities.

The Congress government failed in regulating the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and introduced Rs. 2 a kg. rice scheme to hoodwink the people, Mahila Rajyam State general secretary Giri Kumari alleged. Poor and middle classes were the worst affected due to the steep rise in prices of commodities and vegetables. The government organized sale of onions at Rs. 7 a kg. last year, but did not react this year when the price rose beyond Rs. 20 a kg., she said.

Traders were creating an artificial scarcity of essential commodities and jacking up their prices and diverting them to the black market with the support of ruling party leaders, Ms. Giri Kumari alleged. No measures were initiated to check the hoarding of commodities. She urged officials to take action against hoarders and bring the prices down.

Praja Rajyam State official spokesperson C. Ramachandraiah held the Congress government responsible for the steep rise in prices. The government failed to take steps to ensure reasonable prices and take action on erring traders, he alleged.

Praja Rajyam district co-convenor S.A. Khaleel Basha, Mahila Rajyam State secretary Lakshmi Parvathi, district convenor Latha Reddy, co-convenors A. Jhansi, Nagasubbamma and Anuradha Yadav and Yuva Rajyam functionaries participated.

SC Cell’s bus ‘yatra’ in Nellore

NELLORE: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee SC Cell State chairman A. Krishna will participate in ‘bus yatra’ in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district on February 19.

Mr Krishna will enquire about the problems of dalits in the district during the yatra, according to SC Cell district president T. Bala Sudhakar.

Chiru confident of victory

Chiru confident of victory

SATTENAPALLI (GUNTUR): Praja Rajyam Party will contest from Lok Sabha seats in Orissa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the areas where sizeable population of Telugu-speaking people reside, party founder K. Chiranjeevi announced on Friday.

Expressing confidence that the party would be voted to power in the coming elections, he decried the attitude of the TDP and the Congress towards formation of separate Telangana and promised to pass a resolution in the Assembly as soon he came to power.

Talking to mediapersons at Visapalem, he termed the statement of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on separate Telangana in the Assembly on the last day of the session a deliberate attempt to divert the attention of the people and the opposition parties from the corruption charges on Saakshi.

‘Irrelevant statement’

Mr. Chiranjeevi, before setting out on the Praja Ankita Yatra on the fifth day from Visapalem near Narsaraopet, took a dig at Dr. Reddy saying: “If he could not get separate Telangana in four and half years, what can Congress do in 45 days?”

YSR lays foundation stone for cricket stadium

YSR lays foundation stone for cricket stadium

The stadium will be completed by 2011, say ACA authorities

MANGALAGIRI (GUNTUR): Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the Andhra Cricket Association Stadium at Navuluru village near Mangalagiri.

Construction of the stadium replete with stands, galleries, club house and an indoor cricket academy will begin soon. The ACA office bearers have already promised that they would keep the stadium ready in time for the World Cup 2011.

The Chief Minister landed in a chopper at 9.45 a.m. and left by 10 a.m. after inaugurating the pylon, distributing housing plots and announcing plans to establish a Handloom Park at Mangalagiri. He was greeted by Rajiv Vidya Mission Minister M. Hanumantha Rao, Tenali M.P. V. Balashourie, MLAs, Collector B. Venkatesham, DIG N. Jayarami Reddy among others. An enthusiastic bunch of NSUI activists from Nagarjuna University also greeted the him.

During his address, he said that the construction of the stadium at a cost of Rs.35 crore would be completed within a year-and-a-half. He said that the international stadium would inspire budding cricketers from rural areas.

Sportsmen spirit

Andhra Cricket Association president G. Goka Raju lauded the initiative of the Chief Minister in clearing the proposals for construction of mini stadiums in 14 districts. He also said that the Chief Minister was a true sportsperson and even in politics he shows sporting spirit.

ACA general secretary V. Chamundeswaranath, chairman of stadium committee S.L. Narayan Row, DSDO P. Ramakrishna and others were present. The chopper carrying the Chief Minister halted for a brief while for recharge of ATS fuel, brought in tins from Hyderabad. He later left for West Godavari district.

PRP workers told to sort out their differences

PRP workers told to sort out their differences

GUNTUR: Praja Rajyam Party president K. Chiranjeevi while addressing party office-bearers from district and city unit revealed as to what inspires him, keeps the spirit high.

Women, youth clapped and lustily cheered, which was objected to by some party leaders but Mr. Chiranjeevi was quick to stop his speech declaring “Being a man from the cine field I need claps and shouting from my brothers, to keep me going,”. Taking a cue from this statement of the ‘Megastar’ the pitch of the shouting youth increased.

Ironically, half-an-hour later when it became intolerable, Mr. Chiranjeevi shouted at his close aides (in unprintable language) pointing at the youth shouting every now and then climbing over the six-foot iron barricading. Losing temper often, Mr. Chiranjeevi shouted at a fan, who tried to come close to him blocking the view for media persons and the office-bearers.

The party president in no uncertain terms accepted that there were differences among the six coordinators in the district and wanted them to work in the interest of the party not thinking about what the party has given them but what they could do to the party.

“My image is only a morale booster but you have to do the ground work for the next two months to take the party in the next two months before the elections,” he told them.

Showering accolades on Mahila Rajyam president Shobha Rani and other district units, Mr. Chiranjeevi sounded very happy with their work and programmes.

The SC, ST, BC and Minorities were behind the PRP, but were in fragmented portions and they had to be brought together on party platform.

Chiru visit galvanises cadre

Chiru visit galvanises cadre

Promise of change goes down well with people

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Women from some Palnadu villages come voluntarily in lorries to the meetings

Chiru discusses the issue of lack of proper coordination among local PRP leaders

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“With you always”: PRP president K. Chiranjeevi dancing with physically-challenged children gathered on Bhashyam IIT Campus at Gorantla on the outskirts of Guntur on Saturday. —

GUNTUR: Praja Rajyam Party president K. Chiranjeevi’s six-day visit to Guntur district worked as stimulus for dormant youth, women and minorities who are now showing signs of getting drawn towards the party with the common reason being given is “we tried Congress and TDP earlier why not try Chiranjeevi this time

Large crowds coming to his meetings at almost all places in the district was not an indication of real vote bank, but many among had come voluntarily to listen to him and majority of them were from the Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribes Backward Classes youth and women from across the castes and of course from the Kapu Community he represents.

Real momentum to political activity has come in Mangalagiri Tenali Repalle Sattenapalle and there were women from some Palnadu villages who had come voluntarily in lorries.

We are not happy with the way Congress and TDP had dealt with our problems we wish to vote for Chiranjeevi to see the Change he is promising was how Koneganti Mastanamma described at Sattenapalle meeting.

Large number of people who came to Repalle, Mangalagiri and Sattenapalle meetings were from Backward Classes and some came all the way from Macherla and Gurazala constituencies also to listen to Chiranjeevi. Are they unhappy with Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy s policies and schemes? He has done better than N. Chandrababu Naidu with pensions and Rajiv Arogyasri schemes said Solasa Lakshmanaswamy who benefited from these programmes but said out of eight votes in his house six would go to Chiranjeevi.

Going by the response from the minorities in Guntur-East, Sattenapalle, Pedakurapadu and Repalle the PRP leaders are happy but lack of proper coordination among the party leaders and difference among the six coordinators appointed here has become a worrying point on which Mr. Chiranjeevi discussed with party central leaders for more than an hour at Gorantla on Guntur outskirts on Saturday.

With good choice of candidates the party believes winning Guntur East Sattenapalle Repalle and Mangalagiri will not be a difficult task but are keeping their fingers crossed.