Plans to rope in PRP: MLAs to take on CM

VIJAYAWADA: Chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is likely to face a tough time during his visit to the city on Thursday with MLAs and former legislators reportedly gearing up the cadres to oppose any alliance with Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) before the CM.
The CM would meet the party cadres from 10 assembly segments, including seven from Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency, on Thursday evening after returning from his Pedana tour.PRP has two legislators from the city and one MLA is set to join the state cabinet in case the merger plan is formalised.
Worried over the developments, party leaders, including the lone legislatorfrom the city Malladi Vishnu, were brainwashing the cadres to express their stong opposition to the merger plan. Former minister Devineni Nehru opposed the PRP merger plan. Sources said Chiranjeevi's party has sitting legislator in Yalamanchili Ravi from Vijayawada East constituency and PRP would insist on the seat in the next elections, much to the chagrin of Nehru.
Vishnu is also worried as the merger or alliance with PRP would create new problems for him as the former legislator from the constituency Vangaveeti Radhakrishna is likely to enter the scene. According to sources, Radhakrishna enjoys a good equation with Kiran. District in-charge minister Galla Arunakumari reportedly invited Radhakrishna into the party much before the Congress high command initiated the merger talks, sources averred.
The name of Vijayawada West legislator Vellampalli Srinivas is already doing the rounds for a ministerial berth in case the PRP agrees to be part of Kiran cabinet.