In a setback to Praja Rajyam Party chief Chiranjeevi, his close friend and one of the party founders Putchalapalli Mitra on Saturday quit as the party general secretary.
Mitra, grandson of the legendary CPM leader Putchalapalli Sundarayya, was one of the key persons behind the launch of Praja Rajyam Party in August 2008.
Mitra met Chiranjeevi at the PRP office in Hyderabad and formally handed over his resignation letter, thereby bringing to an end months of speculation over his possible exit from the party.
"My role in the party has certainly diminished over the past few months and even in the future I will not be able to contribute much to the party. Hence, I have decided to quit PRP," Mitra told newsmen.
"I will continue to be a well-wisher of the party," he added.
Mitra was one of the two official spokesmen of PRP since its inception. The other spokesman Parakala Prabhakar had deserted the party on the eve of recent elections to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha while Mitra continued to occupy the post on the request of Chiranjeevi.
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