Praja Rajyam Party

Political party in India

The Praja Rajyam Party (transl. People's Rule Party) was a political party in India.

Formation

The first public meeting of the party was held by Chiranjeevi on 26 August 2008, at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.^[1] Praja Rajyam means people's rule in Telugu.^[2] He addressed a gathering of about a million people and announced the party name and its agenda. The party flag, which has the color white, made up 3/4 of the height at the top, and the bottom 1/4 filled with green, was unveiled at the meeting. In the middle of the flag, a red-coloured sun symbol was encircled with a yellow line. In the 2009 elections, the party contested using a train as its symbol for both the Lok Sabha and Andhra Pradesh assembly election. After the election, he decided against using a train as a symbol and instead applied for a rising sun symbol.

The green colour is an "acknowledgement to the farmers", red symbolises "change and revolution", the yellow border around the sun symbolises "happiness in every home", white symbolises "clean governance and transparency", and the sun in the middle emphasises the need for change and revolution.^[3]

Merger with NTPP

The Nava Telangana Praja Party headed by former minister Tulla Devender Goud was merged with the Praja Rajyam Party. NTPP was a political entity campaigning for Telangana State formation, and had a strong base in the Telangana Region of Andhra Pradesh. Post-merger, Goud was made the Vice-President of Praja Rajyam Party.^[4]

Chiranjeevi at one time expressed his support for the efforts to forge a "Fourth Front" at the national level.

Electoral history

They won only 18 out of a possible 294 assembly seats. The party leader, Chiranjeevi contested in two assembly seats - Tirupathi and Palakollu (West Godavari District) - and won only in Tirupathi. It polled 18% votes.

List of Members Elected

Manifesto

• The manifesto promised distribution of land among poor and total prohibition in phases.
• In the manifesto, Chiranjeevi said if voted to power, the first file his party would sign would be for supply of grocery items for Rs. 100 per month for every poor family and will also supply cooking gas cylinder for Rs. 100.^[5]
• The manifesto promised many populist schemes to counter the Telugu Desam Party's free colour television and cash transfer scheme for poor and schemes like Rs. 2 a kg of rice currently being implemented by the Congress government. The grocery scheme was aimed to provide food security to the poor.
• The PRP promised to implement land reforms and allot two to 5 acres (20,000 m²) of land for landless poor.
• The party also vowed to usher in 'gram swaraj' by transferring powers and finances to village-level bodies.
• Promising to continue the current scheme of free electricity to farmers, the manifesto said the duration would be increased from the present seven hours to 10 hours. It said it would provide social security to farmers by introducing a pension scheme for them.
• Under another populist scheme promised in the manifesto, the government would deposit Rs. 1,00,000 in the name of every newborn girl. She would be paid the amount on reaching the age of 18 years.
• All women will get free education from kinder garden (KG) to post-graduation (PG) level. The women members of self-help DWCRA groups will be provided interest-free loans. Women will also be provided 50 percent reservations in appointment of teachers.
• The PRP promised creation of half a million jobs in 1,000 days. It said it would also pay unemployment allowance of Rs. 1000 a month to every unemployed youth, and assured Rs. 1,500 monthly pension to physically challenged.
• The party said it would try to introduce total prohibition in phases and shut down all 'belt shops' (illegal counters of licensed liquor shops).^[6]

Merger into Congress Party

On 6 February 2011, PRP chief Chiranjeevi announced that his party would be merged with the Indian National Congress party after a meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The merger was proposed by A.K. Antony, Minister of Defence.^[7] He stated that he had originally been compelled to create the PRP on a platform of fighting corruption and ensuring social justice but that Congress now had a good record of fighting corruption elsewhere.^[8]

It was asserted by political observers that Chiranjeevi's move may have been prompted by his loss of support in the wake of his own strong anti-Telangana stance in previous months.^[9] It was argued in the press that Chiranjeevi's move would particularly strengthen Congress' hand in retaining the Kapu vote, as the PRP had done particularly well among them.^[10]

See also

• Jana Sena Party

References

1. "Chiranjeevi launches 'Praja Rajyam'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Press Trust of India. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
2. Gundimeda, Sambaiah (2009). "Dalits, Praja Rajyam Party and Caste Politics in Andhra Pradesh". Economic and Political Weekly. 44 (21): 50–58. ISSN 0012-9976.
3. "Chiranjeevi's 'Praja Rajyam' flag - Bollywood News". IndiaGlitz.com. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
4. "Welcome to nginx eaa1a9e1db47ffcca16305566a6efba4!185.15.56.1". Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
5. "PRP manifesto dangles carrots for all". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
6. "Chiranjeevi releases manifesto of his party Praja Rajyam". India Today. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
7. "Praja Rajyam merges with Congress". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013.
8. "After merging party with Congress, Chiranjeevi attacks YS Rajasekhara Reddy".
9. "PRP merger to have little impact on Telangana" The Times of India 07 February 2011
10. Prasad Nichenametla, Prasad & Ashok Das. "Chiranjeevi to merge party with Cong" Hindustan Times 6 February 2011^{[permanent dead link]}

External links

• Prajarajyam party's meeting held in Rajahmundry