The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Satisfied” with Congress' way of handling graft: Chiranjeevi

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“Satisfied” with Congress' way of handling graft: Chiranjeevi

J. Balaji

Says he is confident that the party will effectively tackle ‘corruption and deliver social justice'

NEW DELHI: Actor-politician and Praja Rajyam (PR) president Chiranjeevi on Sunday justified PR's merger with the Congress as he was ‘satisfied' with the steps taken by the Congress, particularly its chief Sonia Gandhi, to tackle and control corruption.

Referring to the action taken by the Congress on the corruption related issues -- Adarsh Housing Society, organising Common Wealth Games and 2G spectrum allocation -- he said the government had taken firm action including filing of an FIR against its own former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan (in Adarsh scam).

The PR leader, who earlier met Ms. Gandhi here to finalise the merger deal, said he was confident that the party would effectively tackle ‘corruption and deliver social justice'.

Mr. Chiranjeevi denied that he was letting down people who reposed faith in the PR and elected 18 MLAs, by deciding to merge with the Congress and said “people will trust me.”

Mr. Chiranjeevi charged that the erstwhile regime of YSR was “rampant” with corruption and that was the reason for him to spurn the offer from late Dr. Reddy to join the Congress and start PR then.

‘Historic decision'

Now the merger move was taken in the “best interests of Andhra Pradesh” and it was a historic decision for both the PR and the Congress, he said.

There were no pre-conditions in merger like berths in the Cabinet or Rajya Sabha seats for Praja Rajyam functionaries and he was bothered “only about the betterment of the poor, downtrodden and deprived sections of the society.”

Asked his party functionaries would get posts in the Congress, he said: “I do not expect anything. It is their (Congress) responsibility and duty to allocate and give whatever responsibility they feel in which ever form they want,” he said.

He hastened to add that the PR had done its best for upholding social justice and, “we need a much more bigger platform so that people can be benefited by both of us joining together.”

He denied that there was divisions in PR for the merger move and said: “no there is a consensus in our party. Ninety-nine per cent of the people are with the party. But here and there some problems may crop up.”

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