Will Nagari legislator RK Roja be lucky this time? Will she get a ministerial berth in the upcoming cabinet reshuffle? As one of the most vocal and staunchest supporters of YS Jagan and the party, Roja is a natural claimant for ministry. But, caste considerations and intra-party rumblings are said to have become the biggest stumbling blocks in her quest for the ministry.
YSRCP insiders say that her being a Reddy is the biggest problem for her. She was denied a ministry in 2019 itself as Jagan did not want to be seen as a Reddy protagonist. She became a casualty because Jagan wanted to balance all the castes and communities.
But, her biggest problem is that two big political families in the YSRCP – the Peddireddy family and the Reddyvari Chengareddy family – are staunchly opposed to her. At every step of the way, minister Peddireddy, who has a great influence on YS Jagan and is considered all-powerful in Chittoor, is said to be blocking her. In fact, she had on more than one occasion, alleged that Peddireddy was blocking her path to her ministerial ambitions. She also said that Peddireddy was encouraging and promoting those who are against her.
Roja feels that even deputy CM Narayana Swamy is trying to undermine her by promoting groupism in Nagari. She also feels that the appointment of Reddyvari Chakrapani Reddy as the Srisailam temple trust chairperson is also aimed at weakening her position. Chakrapani Reddy comes from a politically powerful family and his father was a minister in the Congress government. But, Roja feels that both Peddireddy and Narayana Swamy are promoting him to weaken her.
All her hopes are now pinned on the proposed cabinet expansion. She is hoping that YS Jagan would recognize her work and make her a minister. She is also trying to minimize the differences with Peddireddy and Reddyvari families to ensure that there is no objection from them. Will Roja be lucky this time? Let’s wait and see how things unfold for Roja.
