HYDERABAD: Just two days after being appointed as the brand ambassador of Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC), popular YouTuber Alekhya Harika has stepped down from the post.
Blaming the ‘hounding’ media reports about State Tourism Minister Srinivas Goud not being happy with her appointment, Alekhya said she has lost interest in the project. Harika, who was a contestant in the fourth season of Bigg Boss Telugu, was appointed as the tourism ambassador by TSTDC chairman Uppala Srinivas Gupta on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8.
Speaking to Express, she said, “TSTDC officials approached me to promote tourism in the State, because it has been severely hit by the pandemic. But soon, conflicting reports about me being removed from the post and about the Minister not being happy with my appointment began surfacing. These reports discrediting my work coupled with political pressure discouraged me from taking up the project. Therefore, I have decided to quit.”
The controversy was sparked after Srinivas Goud told the media that he did not even know who Harika was when he was asked about her appointment. “Such appointments are made by the government, based on the suggestions of the CM. I don’t know who appointed her and I don’t know who she is. If we do appoint an ambassador, it will be someone of a bigger stature, akin to Amitabh Bachchan for Gujarat,” the Minister had told the media.
“The miscommunication happened within the Department and I have nothing to do with it. As per my contract, I had planned a few videos to promote tourism. But after being pulled into this controversy, I have lost interest in the project. As of now, I have no intentions of rejoining the post even if the Department reappoints me,” Harika added.
Harika has one million followers on Instagram and her YouTube channel Dhethadi has 1.67 million subscribers.