Bukya Kalavathi, wife of late Dr. Ramji of Wyra, staged a dharna here on Monday demanding expulsion of senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdary, whom she charged with taking “hefty amount” from Dr. Ramji in 2014 “promising” the latter party ticket from the ST reserved Wyra constituency in the previous Assembly election.
Before embarking on the stir along with the members of the Lambada Hakkula Porata Samithi (LHPS) at Dharna Chowk here, Ms. Kalavathi reiterated her charge that her husband died of mental trauma after being “duped” of ₹ 1.10 crore, the same year.
It may be recalled that Ms. Kalavathi’s charges had earlier sparked off a furore in 2015 with the followers of Ms. Renuka vociferously condemning the allegations as “baseless and politically motivated.”
The supporters of the former Union minister have consistently maintained that she had neither received any amount from Dr. Ramji nor ever met Ms. Kalavathi.
Meanwhile, addressing the dharna here on Monday, Ms. Kalavathi asserted that she will continue her fight with the support of the LHPS till she gets justice. “I will stage a demonstration in New Delhi next month to take the matter to the notice of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi,” she said.
LHPS State president Ravichandra Chauhan said they tribal organisation would extend its support to the aggrieved tribal woman in exploring legal options in pursuit of justice.
‘Baseless charges’
Several tribal leaders owing allegiance to the Congress party strongly condemned the allegations made by late Dr. Ramji’s wife Kalavathi against the Congress senior leader Renuka Chowdhury terming them as “unfounded and false.” Addressing media here on Monday evening, several tribal leaders including M. Ramdas Naik and L. Giribabu alleged that charges against the former Union minister were baseless and part of a “false propaganda” taken up at the behest of some “vested elements.”
Some disgruntled elements are bent upon carrying out misinformation campaign against the senior Congress leader with selfish political machinations, they charged, saying such “evil designs” to destabilise the party will not succeed.
District Congress Committee official spokesman K Venkatarathnam were present.
