Chiranjeevi ready to back Congress in case of crisis

The Praja Rajyam president, Mr Chiranjeevi, on Tuesday, gave several hints that the party would stand by the Congress government in case of any unforeseen crisis. When asked if the Praja Rajyam would join the Congress government, Mr Chiranjeevi said that if such a situation arises, the issue would be discussed within the party and an appropriate decision would be taken in the best interests of people.

“We will see that the people are not put to hardship for any reason. If a need arises, we will discuss the issue in the party and take a decision,’’ said Mr Chiranjeevi, who is holding district-wise meetings on his proposed tour of the north coastal and Rayalaseema districts. He also said that the party would stand by the report of the Sri Krishna Committee.

“Whatever the nature of the report we will stand by it,” asserted Mr Chiranjeevi.

Referring to the T-bypolls, he said that the Congress and Telugu Desam (TD) lost deposits due to the strong Telangana sentiment. “The parties should not have contested the polls. This is precisely the reason why the Praja Rajyam kept out, said Mr Chiranjeevi.

He also expressed his disappointment over the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh’s talks with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra on the Babli issue. “ We expected a positive outcome from the talks but the PM has poured cold water on our hopes,’’ he said.