Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan appoints MLA RK Roja APIIC chief

The corporation now holds a key responsibility as the Andhra Pradesh government is aiming at industrial promotion for generation of jobs.
Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy with YSRC Nagari MLA RK Roja. (Photo | @rojaselvamani/Instagram)
Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy with YSRC Nagari MLA RK Roja. (Photo | @rojaselvamani/Instagram)

VIJAYAWADA: In a surprise decision amid reports that YSRC Nagari MLA RK Roja was unhappy for not getting a Cabinet berth, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday appointed the firebrand leader the Chairperson of the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC).

The second-time MLA from Nagari in Chittoor district, who is considered a staunch loyalist of Jagan ever since she joined the party, expected a berth in the Cabinet. However, Roja was not picked by Jagan in his team in which three other women figured.

Roja was reportedly unhappy and even skipped Jagan’s recent Tirupati event when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tirumala to offer prayers to Lord Venkateswara.

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 speculation that she was in a sulk.

With this, party MP V Vijaya Sai Reddy held discussions with Roja on Tuesday for nearly an hour. Later, Roja had a brief interaction with Jagan and later she clarified that she wasn’t sulking. She also claimed that reports of her disappointment over the denial of Cabinet berth were simply a creation of the media.  

However, by Wednesday, Roja was appointed the Chairperson of APIIC, the nodal agency for promotion of industries. The corporation now holds a key responsibility as the new government is aiming at industrial promotion for generation of jobs.

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