Kurnool MP Butta Renuka skips YSRC Parliamentary Party meeting

KURNOOL: Kurnool MP Butta Renuka’s absence on Saturday at the YSRC Parliamentary Party meeting at Lotus Pond, chaired by party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has given enough grist to the rumour mills to speculate about her switching loyalties to the TD. It was Ms Renuka’s meeting with Nara Lokesh on Friday in Kurnool that triggered the initial rumours.  She has been looking at a second term as an MP from Kurnool constituency but reportedly, Mr Reddy was not willing to let her contest from Kurnool. Instead, is believed to have told her to be ready to contest as an MLA from Yemmiganur constituency where majority of the voters belonged to the Padma Shali community. Ms Renuka herself belongs to that community.

However, Ms Renuka rubbished the rumour, saying that they were “irresponsible” The MP was at pains to put things in proper context. “I am very much in the party and want to continue only in YSRC,” she told DC. She described the reports as ‘baseless, concocted and mischievous’. '. She said that her programme had been fixed a month back and she had no official appointments with her party headquarters on that scheduled day. Therefore she had gone ahead and joined the villagers along with Kurnool District YSR Congress Convener Gouru Venkat Reddy. That was the only reason why she could not go to the parliamentary members' meeting convened by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday at Hyderabad.

She said, "I am very much in the party. I want to continue in YSR Congress Party. I have no plans to join any other political party. I am very comfortable and the work given to me is more than satisfying." District Convener Gouru Venkat Reddy also confirmed the presence of the MP in the remote village to participate in a public meeting and called the news of Renuka joining TDP as 'bogus'.