Will Chiru emulate KCR or fade into oblivion?

Surely Mr Chiranjeevi must have been mistaken. Mistaken to assume that the sounds he was hearing were noises of approval and welcome from the various leaders of Congress into the party fold.

If Mr Chiranjeevi had listened carefully, he could have differentiated the sounds as the creaking of the plank leading to the gallows where his party, the Praja Rajyam Party would be hung and then laid to rest.

Or is it too early to predict the PRP’s demise? That is something only time will tell.

Now that the political union, the Congress-Praja Rajyam Party merger, has been affected smoothly without any hassles, doubts begin to rise. Will the relation runs smoother than thought of or run counterproductive as they both fought bitter elections in 2009.

Or will the TRS example come in handy for Mr Chiranjeevi to emulate K Chandrasekhar Rao?

In any case, most of all the leaders, it is Telugu Desam Party president Nara Chandrababu Naidu who has the most valid reason to celebrate the ‘permanent union’, which by no means is a small task

as described in the political parlance.

Sporting a grey beard - a sign of intellect- Mr Naidu is now rubbing his hands in glee.

After the election results were announced in 2009, Mr Naidu had his own nondescript heart boil.

The reason behind Mr Naidu’s heartburn was that roughly 16 percent of votes were garnered by Mr Chiranjeevi’s party at its maiden attempt to capture votes.

The difference between the TDP and the Congress was far less that this figure. Mr Naidu rued the fact that the Chiranjeevi wave swayed the TDP and swept to power the Congress in 2009.

The TDP found this tough to stomach it as that pre-poll predictions had said that an anti-Congress wave was sweeping over the state.

Mr Chiranjeevi entry into politics was likened to that of politically naive NTR's times which catapulted him to power. Somehow there were some similarities between NTR and Mr Chiranjeevi and this was another factor behind the Telugu people rooting for the PRP and neglecting the TDP.

Mr Chiranjeevi’s fans' 'high expectations' are now belied.

Not only the fans, Mr Chiranjeevi’s own brother is said to be distancing himself from the merger for having lost a clear identity. This is not a small issue which can be taken lightly.

Mr Chiranjeevi had founded his party after many in-depth surveys, clamour from his innumerable fans. This he did after many denials.

When he finally announced his entry into politics, the welcome he received from his fans was described by a former Congress leader who switched sides to the PRP as ‘a political tsunami’.

The party ran into trouble right from the nascent stage, and deep deliberations were needed to decide on the its name and the party symbol. The unfolding events then were like anything never seen before, not even during NTR's period.

Would all of this fade off public memory all of a sudden? Highly improbable, in fact almost impossible.  

Political pundits reckoning has been that Mr Chiranjeevi will sooner or later pay the price for ‘betraying’ his fans who had given him around 16 per cent of the vote.

What situational problems he had, what went wrong within a nascent party is not the issue to be nursed here and now.

YSR in 2009 was sure to have lost but for PRP which kept at bay the TDP chief who had ruled the state for over nine years.

Having lost a contented sleep, the TDP chief must have worked overtime for PRP liquidation.

With the merger, decks have been cleared for TDP's smooth sailing, especially considering the fact that the TRS will surely to cut into the Congress vote bank in Telangana in the run up to the next elections.

As things move in the same direction, the Telangana boil would come in good stead for the TRS which will hardly be willing to let the God sent gift go by. Adding to the equation is the rebel leader from Kadapa YS Jaganmohan Reddy who is waiting in the wings to unseat the Congress.

Implacably revengeful, this defiant leader from Kadapa too would take the merger in his stride.

Meanwhile with no precondition attached to the merger, ambiguity at large, Chiranjeevi's sail in Congress would be as smooth as he dreams is the bone of contention.

Earlier the Congress managed to placate the TRS. That trick paid off to rope in KCR who agreed for Ministerial berths in state and Centre only to truncate off for retaining his party’s own identity.

Would it result in the same way for Chiranjeevi after the purpose is served is wishful thinking.

Meanwhile, PCC president D Srinivas has lost no time issuing a caustic warning to his new find 'rival' that the High Command's yardstick be followed in respect of 'Telangana' issue.

By now Mr Chiranjeevi and his men must surely be beginning to listen carefully.

The must now decipher whether the sounds are indeed of a welcome in the Congress fold or the creaking of the gallows.

They should have grasped the bitter taste of 'relationship' with the party packed with dissent. This is just a beginning. What more is in store will be cleared by the time factor.