No discrimination, merger on schedule: Ramachandraiah

Amidst reports that the Praja Rajyam Party was being given the cold shoulder by the Congress leaders on the eve of the formal merger of the two parties, senior PRP leader C Ramachandraiah on Wednesday tried to project that warmth and bonhomie prevailed in the two camps.

Mr Ramachandraiah maintained before media persons at Gandhi Bhavan that he was invited to attend the meeting of Seemandhra leaders with Congress In-Charge of Andhra Pradesh Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad but could not do so due to his busy schedule.

He was talking to reporters after emerging from a meeting with Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanaraya, where he was asked to verify if the reports that the PRP leaders were being given ‘step-motherly treatment’ were indeed true and if they were deliberately ignored for the meeting with Mr Azad.

“There is no truth in the reports that the PRP leaders are being discriminated against. I received a call from New Delhi, inviting me to attend the meeting. However, I could not do because of my busy schedule,” Mr Ramachandraiah said.

When asked to reveal details about the posts to be offered to the PRP after the merger, he said that the issue did not figure in his talks with the PCC chief.

However, he hinted that the PRP leadership and the cadre were looking forwards to the merger by saying that party president K Chiranjeevi would official take the membership of Congress party in the presence of Core Committee members on August 20.

Mr Ramachandraiah further said that the PRP MLAs and all the party members would officially join Congress at Gandhi Bhavan in the presence of PCC chief on August 22, Mr Chiranjeevi’s birthday birthday.