News courtesy-The Hindu
Fallout of discussions with Congress over alliance

HYDERABAD: A battery of Praja Rajyam leaders on Sunday lashed out at the Telugu Desam, the TRS and the BJP for criticising its discussions with the Congress over an alliance for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections.

Hitting out at the TDP in particular, Praja Rajyam MLA G. Kanna Babu wondered how its leaders did not apparently understand the difference between an alliance and a merger. “If every alliance were to mean a merger, then all those parties would have become one by now,” he said, adding that TDP had the dubious distinction of having forged alliances with practically every political party in the State at some point of time or the other.

Spokesperson J. Gautham recalled that ever since the birth of Praja Rajyam, the TDP was constantly involved in an ideological battle and criticising the fledgling party and its president K. Chiranjeevi for everything.

‘Expected’

Meanwhile, the Telugu Desam said the alliance between Congress and Praja Rajyam for the GHMC elections was on the expected lines and that it was just short of merger.

Asked to comment, former Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav told press persons that having failed to make any mark in the Assembly elections, PR was desperately looking to Congress for help. By moving closer to Congress, the PRP showed that it had no independent thinking. It has to be seen what impact the alliance would have on the elections. Mr. Yadav warned the TRS president, K. Chandrasekhara Rao against threatening people who came from other parts of the State and outside and settled down in Hyderabad. “We will not remain silent spectators and we will go all out to protect the interests of the settlers in Hyderabad. If the TRS carries out its threats against settlers we will see that Mr. Rao leaves the city”.