Merger not setback to T demands: Rosaiah

Former Chief Minister K Rosaiah on Monday sought to allay fears among Congress leaders from Telangana that the merger of the Praja Rajyam Party with the party is a setback to their demands of a separate Telangana state.

Mr Rosaiah said that the two issues were entirely unrelated to each other and asked the Telangana Congress leaders not to link the merger with their separate statehood demand. He said that the Centre would take a favourable decision on the Telangana state at appropriate time.

Talking to media persons at Gandhi Bhavan, the former chief minister said that the merger would strengthen the Congress both at Centre and state levels. He said that the merger would change the entire political scenario in the state and the Congress base at grassroots level would be strengthened.

Terming the merger as `good sign’ in state politics, Mr Rosaiah pointed out that Mr Chiranjeevi had launched the PRP with tall aims and his goals would be achieved with the merger.

He said the merger of the Congress and PRP would go a long way in putting a check on the activities of those vested elements who are trying to destabilize the government at the Centre and state.

The former chief minister added that the Congress party would groom the career of those who are loyal to the party and follow the party principles and ideology of the party.

Expressing the hope that former Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy would one day ‘realise his mistake’, Mr Rosaiah said that he hoped that the son of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy would rejoin the Congress.

He stated that Mr Jaganmohan Reddy had left the Congress party without understanding the party principles and policies.