Congress,PRP join hands sniffing T

The formation of an alliance with the Prajarajyam party is seen as part of Congress president Sonia Gandhis larger game plan to protect the interests of the party in case circumstances impel the Union government to concede Telangana in the future. TOI learns from sources both in the Congress and Prajarajyam that Sonia Gandhi told Chiranjeevi during their meeting last Saturday in New Delhi that a tie-up for the Rajya Sabha elections is only for starters. She said that what she was looking for was a long-term alliance with PRP. Madam wants to ensure that the Congress remains a political force in the Andhra region in case Telangana becomes inevitable. An alliance with Chirus party will make sure that the Congress base remains intact and keep the TDP at bay, the sources added. Chiranjeevi, say sources privy to the meeting, concurred with Sonia and confessed that the Prajarajyam would only have limited interests in the Telangana region if the state was bifurcated. Cementing the partys position in the Andhra region made more sense. Any alliance with the Congress is bound to turn into a huge advantage for the fledgling Prajarajyam as it cannot take on the TDP on its own, the sources averred.

The Jagan factor is another reason why the Congress high command is keen to forge a long-term alliance with Chiranjeevi. The high commands view is that Jagan will never give up his ambition of becoming chief minister, and therefore,will always remain a thorn on the side. In these circumstances, the alliance with Chiranjeevi will act as a check-mate to the Kadapa parliament member, the sources said. The idea of an alliance with the Prajarajyam was given a serious thought after Congress leaders from the Andhra region told the high command that the party would stand to suffer in the Andhra region in the event of Telangana becoming a reality. The Prajarajyam would be the main gainer,the leaders predicted and on this basis we went ahead, Congress party sources told. The news of the alliance has apparently brought cheer to Prajarajyam whose leaders feel that their party has been given a new lease of life. Congress leaders are also not unenthused because it would create a combined opposition to the TDP. After the Rajya Sabha elections,Congress and the Prajarajyam will work out a joint alliance for the elections for at least 100 municipalities scheduled to be held in September. If they can agree on the seat-sharing, they can sweep these polls, said political analysts.Such an agreement will also be the first indication of how effective the alliance will turn out to be on the ground for both the parties.
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(SOURCE-TOI)