Chiru turns Messiah for Congress in Seemandhra!: Move to keep Kapu flock together

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, March 22, 2014:  Having lost hopes in Andhra Pradesh, Congress seems to be banking on charishma of actor turned politician, K Chiranjeevi, for the party’s survival.

The state bifurcation by Congress-led UPA and the emergence of YSRC in political turf of the state, has sounded a death knell to the Congress in almost every corner of Andhra Pradesh. In many districts, Congress lacked candidates to fight local bodies’ polls.

 Being the campaign committee, chief, Chiranjeevi is being projected as the party ‘charioteer’ at all the meetings, a move seen in the backdrop of both, YSRC and TD wooing Kapus, a dominant caste having good numbers in coastal Andhra regions and some parts of Rayalseema.

“Our leader Sonia Gandhi had nominated Chiranjeevi as the charioteer of the party in the state. We will all work under his leadership to revive the party,” said newly appointed, APPCC chief, N Raghuveera Reddy.

Reddy’s view was also endorsed by, former PCC chief, Botsa Satyanarayana, party manifesto committee chairman and former minister, Anam Ramnarayan Reddy, P Balaraju and everyone during their speeches at the party workers meeting held in Vizag on Saturday.

Chiranjeevi too is using the bus yatra- aimed at infusing confidence among party workers, to build his image. He dropped enough indications in this regard, by time and again stating that he is ‘man of commitment’ and didn’t leave Congress during the troubled times though many suggested him to defect and revive his defunct PRP.

“I have helped Congress, when someone wanted the state government to fall, by voting against the no confidence motion earlier. Trusting that, social justice is possible only with Congress I merged my party with it. And I will be with Congress till my last breath. I’m a man of commitment. Many came to me after union government took the decision to divide the state and asked me to come out of the party and revive PRP. They said I would be the champion in the current situation. But I never heeded to them. Such is my character. Am not like others who go out all for power,” he said at the party workers meeting.

Though, PRP won 16pc vote share in 2009 polls, which was only due to the charishma  of Chiranjeevi, the now defunct party failed in bagging considerable number of seats then. In Vizag district alone the erstwhile PRP won more than 30 pc vote share and bagged maximum number- 4 seats among other districts in the state.  On, Saturday too, many thronged Indira Priyadarshini stadium, where Congress party workers meet was held, to have a glimpse of their matinee idol.