Ramya keeps her word, takes up house in Mandya

 

Mysore: Mandya Member of Parliament Ramya kept her pre-poll promise made to voters and held a housewarming ceremony of her house in Mandya on Friday night, to make herself accessible to the people. 

 

Before the by-election to Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, her opponents had labeled Ms Ramya an outsider, saying that she did not know the pulse of Mandya people. Trying to prove her critics wrong, the youngest MP in the country has spent considerable amount of time in the constituency in the last four months since she got elected and toured all the eight assembly segments and interacted with the people.

 

“I have done what I promised. I am not an outsider. I have a lot of fond memories of Mandya. My grandfather Boregowda died before I was born. During vacations, I used to stay at our ancestral home in the old part of the town along with my grandmother. I still remember there was single TV set at home. I used to go for a ride in a tractor and spend a lot of time in the fields,” she told Deccan Chronicle.

 

Ms Ramya said she is spending the maximum amount of time in her constituency, to understand issues affecting the constituency people and trying to find permanent solutions. “Having a house in Mandya will ease some of the physical strain. I know I have very little time left before my term comes to an end. So far, I am satisfied with my stint as Mandya MP. I will be an improved MP with the knowledge of every part of Mandya. My interactions with Housing Minister Ambareesh and other senior leaders in the party and the government have been helpful,” she said.

 

Ramya has already opened an office at Cauvery Bhavan off Mysore-Bengaluru Highway in Mandya and has appointed a clerk to receive memorandums from the public. Now, she has rented a two-storey house near Visvesvaraya Stadium. 

 

The house belongs to former legislator Sadak Ali Khan and Ramya made formal entry on Friday night with few selected guests. She preferred to keep the event low-profile and didn’t allow the media to participate. But the skeptics have termed the move as a ‘political gimmick’. “She has only a few months of her term left. She will forget Mandya if she is re-elected,” a JD(S) leader said.