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Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi on Friday announced that his Praja Rajyam party will support the formation of a separate Telangana state if the Centre came with such a proposal.

“It is for the Central government to take a decision on creation of Telangana state. If it comes up with such a proposal, our party will not be an obstacle at any cost,” he told a gathering in this Telangana town during his road show.

The megastar’s pro-Telangana announcement came on the second day of his Telangana leg of road show.

The much-awaited policy announcement is set to impact the political equations in the state ahead of assembly elections, due in April next year.

“I know the people of this region are overwhelmingly in favour of separate state. I respect your feelings. If you are convinced that creation of separate state will ensure rapid development, I am with you,” Chiranjeevi said, evoking loud applause from the gathering.

Focusing on social justice plank, he said, “What we want is a Telangana of social equality. Let us strive for achieving it.”

Lobbing the ball in the Central government’s court, Chiranjeevi said the decision on bifurcation of the state was left to the Union government.

“Let me declare here and now that my party will not stand in the way of creation of Telangana state if the Centre comes up with such a proposal,” the matinee idol said.

Stating that Telangana region had suffered decades of neglect and discrimination, he said the statehood movement reflected the ‘self-respect’ of the people.

Making it clear that his party would not exploit the Telangana sentiment for political gains, Chiranjeevi said his party would adopt ‘people’s agenda and reflect their hopes and aspirations.’

Without naming any one, he took a dig at political parties for ‘cheating the people of Telangana by taking advantage of their innocence’.

Acknowledging the overwhelming statehood sentiment in Telangana region, Chiranjeevi asked the people to elect the ‘genuine’ candidates who can mount pressure on the Centre to take a favourable decision.

“If the Central government is sincere about honouring the people’s sentiment, it should bring forward the proposal to carve out Telangana state. We will support it,” he said.

The actor chose Telangana heartland to make the much-awaited announcement. Jagityal falls under Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency represented by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The megastar is the latest politician to join the Telangana bandwagon.

The main opposition Telugu Desam party has already made a U-turn and announced its support for Telangana cause in the hope of striking an alliance with TRS, a major force in the region.

The Left parties have also held talks with TRS on possible poll pact, though a final decision is yet to be taken.

On its part, the TRS is faced with a dilemma on whether to align with TDP or the fledgling Praja Rajyam Party. The TRS and Left parties are said to be keen on assessing the impact of Chiranjeevi’s road show in Telangana before deciding on the poll tie-ups.

While Communist Party of India-Marxist is strongly opposed to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, CPI is favourably inclined to separate Telangana state.

The ruling Congress, which had fought the 2004 elections in alliance with TRS and Left parties, has been maintaining that it is making efforts to achieve a political consensus on the issue and that the final decision has been left to the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Chiranjeevi on Thursday hinted that his Praja Rajyam party would support the demand for separate statehood to the Telangana region.

Launching his ‘yatra’ in Telangana, Chiranjeevi said he would make an announcement on the issue before he winds up his visit to the region.

The actor launched the second phase of his state-wide ‘yatra’ from Sricilla town in Karimnagar district. Addressing a series of roadside meetings in the district, he hinted that he would back the demand for separate Telangana state.

‘The people of Nizam region (Telangana) love me so much. My films were all hit in this region and the people in the industry called me Nizam hero. After getting so much love and affection from you, I will not cheat you,’ he said.

Chiranjeevi said he knew the aspirations and feelings of the people.

‘I will honour your sentiments and self-respect on this issue.’

His assurance came at a time when almost all parties are supporting the demand for separate Telangana in view of the ensuing elections.

The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) recently supported the five decades old demand while the ruling Congress party is likely to soon make an announcement in favour of separate Telangana.

Chiranjeevi’s meetings evoked massive public response like his meetings in north Telangana Andhra, which he covered under the first phase of the ‘yatra’ earlier this month.

In Sircilla town, the actor promised to help the weavers, who are facing a serious crisis. This was his second visit to the handloom town.

He promised seven hours free electricity to the powerlooms and said the would be brought under the cover of a free health insurance scheme.

Voicing concern over continuing suicides by the distressed weavers, Chiranjeevi said if his party took power, it would pay a compensation of Rs.500,000 to the family of any weaver who commits suicide.

The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) is hopeful of making a clean sweep of all Assembly constituencies in coastal Andhra Pradesh and it does not anticipate even a semblance of a fight from the ruling party, not to mention the seemingly unending woes of the TDP.

The PRP would make its mark in Telangana and Rayalaseema regions as well with social justice as the main election plank, said its leader K.S.R. Murthy.

Sensitive issue

Addressing mediapersons here on Thursday, Mr. Murthy said the Congress lost credibility and the TDP was not in a position to emerge unscathed from its problems. The PRP, he said, was trying to drive home the message that it was prepared to do its best for people’s welfare with service as the sole motto.

The PRP was planning ways to put an end to hardships of SCs, STs and Backward Classes, which were deprived of their rights for a long time.

Asked whether the PRP would prefer creation of separate Telangana, Mr. Murthy said party president Chiranjeevi would make a statement as it was a sensitive issue on which the party could not afford to take a hasty decision. The PRP was getting a good response in this region also contrary to perception that film stars would not be able to sway the electorate here, he asserted.

Dharna plan

Mr. Murthy said the PRP would picket East Godavari district Collector’s Office in a week if the government did not institute an inquiry into the corruption charges levelled by Small Scale Industries Minister Gollapalli Surya Rao against his cabinet colleague J.C. Diwakar Reddy, by the Lok Ayukta or a retired judge of the Supreme Court or Andhra Pradesh High Court. He said it was not a private matter to be deliberated in party forums as the Minister was accused of being involved in swindling of public money.

Many MLAs favoured an inquiry by a sitting judge knowing fully well that it was the least possible thing the government could do to ferret out such stark facts.

There were few instances when an inquiry was done by a sitting judge in India except the ones like Srikrishna Commission, which probed the Mumbai riots.

“It is unfortunate that similar charges traded by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu in the Assembly were never inquired into at the highest level,” Mr. Murthy added.

With Praja Rajyam Party’s (PRP) founder Chiranjeevi attracting massive crowds in north Telangana region also, the CPI State committee is contemplating to dump the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and embrace the actor-turnedpolitician in its efforts to build an alternative to the Congress in the State. It wants to rope in the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in its alliance to infuse more strength into the new formation.

‘Left unity’ might be the first casualty, if the CPI national executive endorses the State committee’s preference since the CPM is showing more interest in Naidu than Chiranjeevi.

The extended State executive meeting of the CPI, which concluded here today, is learnt to have discussed how Chiranjeevi could be a better bet compared to Nadiu.

The CPI’s decision will be announced after the matter is discussed at the national executive to be held in Delhi on November 1 and 2.

According to sources, a majority of the district committees expressed their concern over the adverse affects in sailing with the TDP. Several leaders reportedly expressed reservations over the leadership of TDP president Chandrababu Naidu.

It is not as though there were no voices at the meeting in defence of Naidu.

‘‘Elections and electoral adjustments need to be finalised on the basis of the national level guidelines. Alliances with parties which haven’t spelt out their policies need to be discussed before taking a final decision. With the TDP playing an active role in national politics, we have to keep this in the mind before taking any decision at the State-level,’’ a State committee member of the CPM said, speaking his mind over the alleged decision of the CPI to sail with the PRP in the State.

The second leg of  Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi’s Praja Ankita Yatra started on Thursday, pulling massive crowds in Telangana district of Karimnagar though the mega star continued to remain as evasive as ever on the contentious Telangana issue.

The only promise the film actor made was that before he concluded his yatra in Telangana districts which will continue till November 7, he would make a categorical promise on the issue. He, however, said he honoured the sentiments of the people for separate Statehood.

The roadshows in all villages in Karimnagar district were well attended, which came as a relief to the managers of the actor who feared the turnout might not be all that impressive.

People in large numbers turned at his roadshows and listened to him attentively. They cheered him lustily whenever he spoke of the valour of Telangana people.

The film actor kick-started his yatra in the weavers’ town of Sircilla where he declared waiving of all loans availed by the weavers and clearing all piled up stock by paying Re 1 more per metre of cloth.

He also promised benefits like health and life insurance to weavers, appointment of a special officer, a training center to upgrade the skills of weavers, payment of Rs 2,500 as pension to the surviving family members of the weavers who committed suicides, education in the residential schools for the children, providing meal twice a day to the aged.

After reaching Vemulavada, he offered prayers to Lord Siva at Rajarajeswari temple and speaking at a whistlestop meeting, he promised steps to stop migrations of workers to other countries and announced that a special cell would be created for those who are working in the Gulf countries.

However his tour was marred by slogan-shouting by the cadres of Telangana Rashtra Samiti. At Sircilla, Vemulavada and Chandurti the TRS activists tried to corner him demanding a clear statement on Telangana. Chiranjeevi assured them that he knew the heart of the Telangana people and would do what they want.

While passing through Sircilla a hoarding set up by local leaders in which a child was requesting Chiranjeevi to provide free education to the children attracted the actor’s attention who later said he would definitely fulfil her wish. In another incident he called on a hundred-year-old woman to his vehicle and made her speak.

With each passing day, Megastar Chiranjeevi is getting more and more comfortable with his new role as a politician and one can see the body language from the time he announced his ‘Praja Rajyam Party’ and till date, the transformation he has been through.

Given the current political tsunami he has been creating, it is heard that most of his videos such as the songs, the best scenes of his hit movies and many other sequences have suddenly started getting a lot of viewership and the regular surfers of the famous youtube site say that the videos are being watched like crazy with the hits it shows.

He has now started his second leg of ‘Praja Ankita’ yatra and this time he would be covering only the Telangana region. With the kind of response he got during his first leg, the message is clear that he sure enjoys some reputation as far as getting a glimpse of him goes.

But the real truth will be out once the polls are announced and the voting is done and just like any other film, even Chiru’s fate will be in the hands of the same audience who will appear in the new role as voters to decide whether he is fit enough to be a real life star or just a reel life star.

Srikakulam: Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi on Thursday said that his Praja Rajyam Party will take a final decision on the separate Telangana demand in accordance with the wishes of people of the region. “We honour their self-respect. Our stand will be in accordance with the people’s wishes. It will not be against their wishes. Our party will be ahead of other parties on the issue,” he told reporters in Srikakulam.

He was asked about his party’s stand on the Telangana demand in the backdrop of main Opposition TDP today announcing that it favours creation of a state covering the backward region of Andhra Pradesh. Replying to a query on alliances, he said it was too early to talk about the matter. Asked for his party’s stance on the Naxalite problem, he said it is not a law and order problem but a social issue. “It is not a law and order problem. It is a social issue. I am also fighting for social justice,” he said. Chiranjeevi is in the town for his maiden mass-contact programme. He would cover the three districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam in eight or nine days, sources said. To a query, he said the objective of his tour is to acquire first hand knowledge of the people’s problems and to create confidence among them that he is there to take care of them.

The  Praja Rajyam has made it clear that it was in no hurry to announce its stand on separate Telangana and the statement of party president Chiranjeevi at Tirupati public meeting on Telangana still holds good.

The PR would not finalise its decisions on crucial issues just because other parties were hurriedly announcing their stand. It would announce its line on Telangana “at an appropriate time” and had not set any timeframe. It was for Mr.Chiranjeevi to make an announcement after examining all aspects, PR spokesman P. Mitra said.

The statement comes a day ahead of Mr. Chiranjeevi’s second leg of Praja Ankita Yatra in Telangana districts slated to commence at Sircilla in Karimnagar district on Thursday. “We will examine all aspects and announce a decision that is in the interests of the party,” he said.

Dr. Mitra was critical of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for claiming that the proposed coastal corridor was a just a road and that the government would stop land acquisition if the people opposed it. The advertisements issued by the government on the extent of land required for setting up special economic zones and other industrial corridors was in public domain and what was being projected was “false”.

Replying to queries, Dr. Mitra said CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan’s meeting with Mr.Chiranjeevi  was aimed at exchanging views on the national and State political scenario and there was no discussion about alliances. The talk of an alternative to the Congress and the BJP at the national level was also preliminary as there was no clear picture of the course that would be adopted by other parties.

Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi on Thursday virtually endorsed the demand for separate Telangana state, though he stopped short of announcing his party’s stand on the issue.

Kicking off the second leg of his mass-contact programme from this handloom hub in the Telangana heartland, the  Praja Rajyam party founder said he understood the sentiments of the people and their desire.

“I don’t have any personal agenda. People’s agenda is my agenda. I can understand the heartbeat of the people of Telangana. I honour the self-respect of the people of the region,” he said, addressing a road show here.

Amid cheers from the large gathering, the megastar said he would spell out his party’s stand on the statehood issue before completion of his present leg of tour.

“I will not leave Telangana without spelling out my stand on the most-awaited issue,”  Chiranjeevi said. The second round of his tour would cover Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts over the next eight days in Telangana region.

Without naming any one, he hit out at political parties for exploiting the innocence of Telangana people for their advantage.

Chiranjeevi’s tour in Telangana is keenly watched in political circles as his stand on the statehood demand is expected to impact the outcome of the next year’s assembly elections.

Since Telangana has emerged as a key issue ahead of polls, the megastar’s position will influence the nature of alliances in the region.

“I am an illiterate and don’t know about politics. Luckily, I got an opportunity to contest in the next Assembly elections and I am confident of winning the elections. I am seriously thinking on how to understand the things and do justice for the poor, particularly the Yanadis,” says Tupakula Munemma.

Praja Rajyam party (PR) president K.Chiranjeevi , at the ‘Mahila Varathi’ programme organised in Hyderabad a couple of days ago announced that Munemma will be given ticket from the party in the coming general elections.

Munemma, wife of Kondaiah, was a daily wage labourer and a Self-Help Group (SGH) member in the village while Kondaiah is an agriculturist. Speaking on Wednesday over phone, Munemma, who was the first PR contesting candidate said, “many families in our Yanadi community are getting ruined as the men are habituated to liquor. I will strive for imposing a ban on liquor and bring a change in the lives of Yanadis.”

“Many poor people are suffering without drinking water, houses, hospitals and land to plough. In Yanadi community, most of the families frequently migrate from one place to the other as they don’t have a permanent house. In Nellore district, the main occupation of the Yanadi community is fishing and labour work. Some thousands of Yanadi are suffering with abject poverty,” said Munemma.

Stating that only poor can bring social justice in the society, the 30-year-old woman says, “I am ready to contest from any where and I am confident of winning in the polls from Chiranjeevi’s party. My family members and the villagers are very happy and have pinned hopes on me,” said Munemma.

Praja Rajyam party leader Venki Penchalaiah said that the party cadre are happy with Chiranjeevi’s decision. The party president has proved that he was committed for women empowerment in the State.

Munemma will garland Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar statues at Nellore on November 1, which happened to be the AP Formation Day, and submit a representation to the Collector on the problems of Yanadis.