HYDERABAD: Despite putting in efforts to pacify the disgruntled leaders in the party, the Praja Rajyam leadership has not been able to stop the dissidents from continuing their protests and publicly venting their anger on the party top brass.
Masala Eeranna, who was elected to the Assembly three times, today began a hunger strike before the party office. Mulinti Sudershan, brother of former minister from the Congress Mulinti Mareppa, also joined him in the fast.
PRP organising secretary B Brahmananda Reddy resigned from his post and also from the primary membership of the party.
Party manifesto committee member KAN Murthy too put in his papers.
Speaking to newsmen, Eeranna wondered where had social justice gone when candidates were finalised and why was he denied a ticket. The party had entertained an anti-social element like Bhuma Nagireddy and even distributed tickets as per his wish, he alleged. Most of the tickets in Kurnool district were given to criminals and to those from a particular community, he charged.
M Sudershan said that though he had been working with Chiranjeevi since the latter had declared his intention to enter politics, he was denied the party ticket. It had been given to a rather unknown person in the Kodumuru constituency of Kurnool district, he said.
B Brahmananda Reddy alleged that party general secretary Allu Aravind had sold the tickets. ``A few days back I met Aravind and asked him about my ticket. He wanted to know how much I could spend and later sent an emissary informing me that there were people ready to give Rs 2-3 crore for the ticket. Then I told him I could bear the poll expenditure but not ready to buy the ticket," he alleged. The next morning Nagendrababu had informed him that the party was not giving him the ticket, Brahmananda Reddy said.
KAN Murthy, on the other hand, wanted to know why no Padmasali was given ticket in the Rayalaseema region. He too was told by Nagendrababu that the party was not giving him the ticket, Murthy said.