Has Chiru’s camp been infiltrated?

By M H Ahssan

Flush with the unprecedented success of his public meeting in Rajahmundry, Prajarajyam Party (PRP) chief Chiranjeevi was spitting fire on Wednesday. He levelled serious charges against the TDP, saying that the party has “planted” some persons as coverts to destroy him and damage his party’s reputation.

Chiranjeevi told newspersons that some Telugu Desam Party (TDP) men joined PRP and were trying to damage him by making unnecessary charges. Countering the charge that PRP charges Rs 2 crore from each aspirant to contest the elections, he said: “It’s rubbish. Some coverts planted by the TDP in PRP are making such allegations. Now, such elements are out of the PRP.”

This is the first time that Chiranjeevi was mentioning publicly about his party being infiltrated, but sources say that he has been discussing these matters with close aides. “Soon after Chiranjeevi launched his party, he realised that his office was being bugged, his phones tapped and movements of his aides being monitored,” highly placed sources told HNN. Sources also said that he made a close circle of his family members when he realised that important political decisions were getting leaked out within minutes of it being made. “He did not know what to do and for starters went into a cocoon,” a source said. It is understood that other than officials of the state intelligence bureau, Chiranjeevi was also looking at the Congress with suspicion in this matter.

Political analysts tended to agree with the gist of Chiranjeevi’s belief. “I would reckon that his suspicions are not out of place. It does seem that there is infiltration into his party,” said a senior leader from another political party.

On Wednesday, without mentioning the names of Kesineni Nani of Vijayawada and Vasamsetti Satya of East Godavari who joined the TDP, Chiranjeevi said some leaders were TDP “stooges” who tried to vitiate the atmosphere in PRP.

Chiranjeevi denied that tickets are being allotted only to affluent persons and termed it as bad propaganda against him and his party. “Our list will have a fresh look with lots of new faces. We will field maximum number of backward caste candidates,” Chiranjeevi said. He said the PRP would release the first list in four to five days.

But Chiranjeevi was evasive about his stand on allocation of more seats for women, reducing or increasing the seats to Kapu leaders and controlling his fans at public meetings. Chiranjeevi asserted he would contest the April 23 election from Tirupati. “Tirupati is fixed. But I have not decided on contesting from Narsapuram in West Godavari,” he said. He said he would certainly enter the fray from another constituency.

In the event of PRP coming to power, Chiranjeevi assured that liquor prohibition would be introduced in a phased manner and belt shops would be closed immediately. On Congress government’s Jalayagnam, he said PRP would not take up all the projects at one time.

Chiranjeevi reiterated that there is no question of his party supporting the BJP at the national level. The PRP chief expressed the hope that his party would get a common symbol.