PRP poll campaign begins with a bang

HYDERABAD: The election juggernaut picked up momentum on Saturday with 

Prajarajyam president Chiranjeevi thundering at a huge public meeting 

here that the 

PRP wave will sweep away the Congress and the opposition Grand Alliance of the TDP, TRS and Left parties. 

“They should come and see this gathering. If all of you breathe out once, they will be swept off in a torrent. Heeding my call in just 4-5 days, you have turned up in massive numbers here. Can’t the other parties see and hear this,” the PRP chief said at a massive Praja Vijayabheri that marked the launch of PRP’s election campaign at the Parade Grounds here on Saturday evening. 

During his one-hour speech, Chiranjeevi reacted to the Congress announcing its list of candidates for the Lok Sabha and assembly by saying that only the PRP can ensure social justice. “After us, all the other parties are speaking of social justice. Then how come the Congress has so few BCs as its candidates? In chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s native Kadapa district, could they not find a single BC candidate from there?,” he asked and said the same will be the situation with the Grand Alliance. 

Holding placards that said ‘Change,’ the crowd listened to his speech and applauded as he acknowledged his gratitude to them. “When I entered the film industry, I had to brave insults and humiliations. I was first recognised by you and then only by the film industry. Today, I have your love, affection and support. This is what will drive me,” he said. 

But like the first public meeting in Tirupati on August 26 last year, the event was not without its tense moments, especially relating to controlling the crowd. Despite repeated calls to the organisers to rein in the crowd which jumped barricades and occupied the VIP enclosures, there was no response leading to many members of the media going out fearing for their safety. 

TDP MLA Kothapalli Subbaraidu from Narasapuram in West Godavari joined the party on the occasion.