VIJAYAWADA: Setting at rest speculation that she is miffed at being ignored for a cabinet berth, YSRC leader and Nagari MLA RK Roja on Tuesday clarified that there was no truth in such reports and that she wasn’t sulking.
“We are happy to see Jagan Mohan Reddy as the Chief Minister. Our nine-year long dream to see him in that position has finally been realised. Today’s visit is a courtesy call and also to discuss the party’s strategy for the Assembly session starting Wednesday. Who should do what and such other related issues were discussed,” she explained after coming out of the CM’s camp office at Tadepalli.
She claimed that reports on her disappointment over the denial of cabinet berth were simply the creation of media.
“These reports have hurt the sentiments of my supporters. Jagan becoming CM is as good as we becoming CM,” she quipped. Before meeting the CM, she met party senior leader MP Vijayasai Reddy. Her meeting with Jagan lasted barely 15 minutes.
Roja had reportedly been maintaining distance from party leaders and in fact did not even attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Council of Ministers sparking off speculation that she was in a sulk. On Tuesday, she hit the headlines when reports surfaced that she received a call from Vijaysai to meet the CM.
It was suggested that she could be offered the nominated post of the women’s commission chairperson. However, speaking to a news channel at the Gannavaram airport, Roja was emphatic that she had neither asked nor was offered any post.
“I am not unhappy and no one has called me. I came here to attend the Assembly session,” she stressed. Asked if she was denied a Cabinet berth as she did not fit into the caste equations, she replied caste was of little importance to her as despite being a Reddy, she had married a BC person and her friends and staff belong to different castes. She also defended the party decision to accommodate leaders from different castes.