Chiru resigns from Andhra assembly protesting Telangana.
Actor-politician Chiranjeevi turned Andhra hero and Telangana villain on Thursday when he resigned from the assembly under pressure from the united state lobby in his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP). He had been supporting the separate Telangana demand till now.
The Tirupati MLA’s U-turn, however, was expected since 16 of the 18 PRP MLAs are from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema and only from Telangana. The 16 have resigned protesting the Centre’s decision favouring Telangana.
The decision sparked an immediate revolt, with dozens of PRP leaders, including founding members, declaring the formation of a separate party on December 27 to achieve the Telangana objective. Party offices in Telangana districts were destroyed and flags burnt.
A shocked Chiranjeevi tried to calm the disgruntled elements by reiterating PRP’s commitment to the welfare of the region, but there were no takers.
“It is unfortunate that Chiranjeevi has gone back on his promise made to the people of Telangana. He has again proved that he is a good actor,” party MLA Maheshwar Reddy said.
Meanwhile, lobbying for a united Andhra moved to Delhi with several MLAs from Andhra and Rayalaseema camping in the capital to convince the party high command about the disadvantage of separating Telangana. “We spoke to several party leaders in Delhi. After day-long discussions, we are convinced nothing is going to move on Telangana immediately,” TG Venkatesh, convener of the joint action committee of Andhra and Rayalaseema MLAs, said.
Devineni Umamaheshwar Rao, a TDP MLA who is fasting for the past five days in Vijayawada, was taken into custody on Thursday. The situation at Sri Krishnadevaraya University, which had turned into a war zone after the police action against Telangana supporters, was returning to normal. “Barring sporadic incidents, the situation is under control,” inspector general AR Anuradha said.
Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, however, remain tense, with 800 places witnessing protests.
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