Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Sonia lacks political values: Shiv Shankar

Photo: P. V. Sivakumar

NEW INNINGS: Former Union Minister and Congress leader P. Shiv Shankar with Chiranjeevi after joining Praja Rajyam in Hyderabad on Saturday.

HYDERABAD: Former Union Minister P. Shiv Shankar on Saturday joined the Praja Rajyam in the presence of party president K. Chiranjeevi.

He marked his entry into the newly-founded party by firing a salvo at AICC president Sonia Gandhi by saying that “she has no political values.”

The former Congress leader said he had sent his resignation letter to her in March 2004 itself, mentioning how huge sums of money had changed hands in the process of allotment of party ticket with every election.

“It is regrettable that the high command did not even order an enquiry into the allegations. The Congress today is not the same as it was when the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were striving to uphold values. People in the Congress today are getting votes taking the names of stalwarts and gaining power, before starting to amass wealth,” he alleged.

As if to justify how several leaders were getting disillusioned with the Congress, Mr. Shiv Shankar said Congress MLA from Malleswaram B. Vedavyas and former Union Minister P. Upendra would soon join the PR. He said Mr. Upendra had spoken to him on Saturday morning about this move.

Immediately after his announcement, the Praja Rajyam chief appointed Mr. Shiv Shankar as the head of the party’s manifesto committee as well as the legal cell. “This way, we will be able to leverage his political experience and legal expertise,” he added.

Welcoming Mr. Shiv Shankar into the party, Mr. Chiranjeevi said his hands were strengthened in his endeavour to ensure social justice and a better society.

“While we are looking at fresh faces and leaders in our endeavour to usher in clean politics, we do need guidance from such seniors. This way, we can do better,” Mr. Chiranjeevi said.

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