Hyderabad, Aug 20 - Telugu superstar and Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) chief K. Chiranjeevi Thursday dismissed as 'baseless' media reports that his party was planning to merge with the ruling Congress party.

Chiranjeevi said he would continue to serve the people -- the mission with which he entered politics a year ago.

His comments came as PRP leaders and activists took to the streets and staged a demonstration in front of the office of Telugu daily Eenadu, which carried a report that a section of PRP legislators had urged the party leadership to merge the outfit with the Congress.

Holding aloft party flags and raising slogans against the newspaper, the PRP activists staged protest before the newspaper office, bringing vehicular traffic to a halt in the busy Somajiguda area. Police arrested PRP leaders and cadre who had squatted on the road demanding an apology from the newspaper.

Earlier, Chiranjeevi reacted strongly to the newspaper report and alleged that two Telugu newspapers were trying to create confusion in the party and doubts in peoples' mind for their own agenda.

'The report was published to strangulate PRP. Bringing down the party's flag is like strangulating the mother who gave birth to me. No one can bring down the party flag,' Chiranjeevi said. He wanted to know why Eenadu and Andhra Jyoti were trying to target him.

According to the report, five of the 18 PRP legislators had urged Chiranjeevi to merge the party with the Congress.