Go to grassroots to educate electorate: Chiru

Hyderabad, January 20: Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi on Monday exhorted party leaders to galvanise cadres and get them ready for the elections.

He addressing members of various committees from seven districts Krishna, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Nellore, Nizamabad and East Godavari at a day-long motivation workshop organised for them at Shilpa Kala Vedika here.

He wanted the party leaders to go to the grassroots and educate people about the party’s agenda of ‘change and social justice’. “Get to work as if the polls are tomorrow or the day after. Do not wait for instructions from the leadership. You are aware of people’s problems and the solutions PR is offering for their alleviation,” he said.

Referring to criticism from other parties that the PR had no concrete programmes, he said, “Who are they to ask me? A hungry man first needs food and I have plans to do just that. Then I will get work on agriculture, power and welfare. We have brains working on these sectors and chalking out plans. I promise that every programme of the Praja Rajyam will be to help the poor.”

Mr. Chiranjeevi asked party leaders not to be disturbed by criticism from political opponents. In just seven months, the PR was able to gain the trust of the people, so much so, other parties were getting jittery. “Praja Rajyam is surely an alternative in the State,” he said.

Enrolment sought

Pawan Kalyan, president, Yuva Rajyam, has sought enrolment of an estimated 29 lakh youth as voters to ensure their participation in the election process and offered his party’s services to do this job at college and university level. I. V . Subba Rao, Chief Electoral Officer, to whom Mr. Pawan submitted a memorandum on Monday, responded by promising to enlist maximum number of youths under the special drive ‘Young Tarang’ that began in the State but was disinclined to take assistance from any party.

Mr. Pawan proposed that the Election Commission should reward heads of educational institutions, including universities, with awards for enrolling large number of students.

Speaking to reporters later, Mr. Pawan said PR had already stated that it would introduce a bill in the Assembly for formation of Telangana if it was voted to power. He said he would not contest Assembly/Parliament elections and continue to work as party activist. On the description of PR as a “bubble” by TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu, he said “he might have remarked so out of fear of PR”. 

--Agencies---