Sonia goes US for surgery- PRP on hold

The formal merger of the Praja Rajyam Party into the Congress will most likely be postponed after Congress president Sonia Gandhi was forced to rush to the United States for a surgery. The merger, scheduled to take place between August 7 and 10, would have been formalized after PRP President K Chiranjeevi joining the Congress party in Ms Sonia Gandhi’s presence.

The AICC chief had already invited Mr Chiranjeevi to New Delhi to meet her anytime between August 7 and 10 to formally take primary membership of the party. Accordingly it was planned that the Tirupati MLA would visit the National capital on August 7 and take the Congress membership in New Delhi while other party leaders, including the MLAs, will formalize the merger at Gandhi Bahvan, APCC’s headquarters subsequently.

However, all these plans have gone awry after Ms Sonia Gandhi was forced to leave for the US for a surgery. In a statement, party General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi had told media person that Ms Gandhi had been advised surgery following a medical condition. He did not elaborate what the medical condition was.

Mr Dwivedi however said that Ms Sonia Gandhi will be away for two to three weeks. The PRP has already technically merged with the Congress and a public meeting was planned by its chief which was postponed till the formal merger of the party.

However, the current situation in the state over bifurcation issue has affected Mr Chiranjeevi's plans to organise the grand public meeting in the presence of Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi to formalize the merger. In view of current turmoil in the state the Congress High Command had advised Mr Chiranjeevi to avoid pomp and complete the formalities and join the ruling party in the presence of Ms Sonia Gandhi, but the sudden development has left the merger plans uncertain.