South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer Kia Motors is going to launch first car Seltos in the Indian market through the hands of YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at its plant at Penukonda in Anantapur district on August 8.
Kia Motors Managing Director Kook Hyun Shim and Chief Administrative Officer Thomas Kim, who met the chief minister at his Tadepalli camp office on Monday invited him for the launch event.
They also handed over a model of Seltos car to Jagan. They told him that yearly three lakh cars would be produced from the Penukonda plant.
So far so good. But sources in the official circles said the Kia Motors authorities were strictly told that there should not be any reference to Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu or his government at the launch event at any cost.
Though Naidu had taken a lot of initiative for setting of the Kia Motors plant at Penukonda, including allotment of 500 acres of land, creation of all infrastructural facilities, provision of power supply and water supply from the Gollapalle reservoir, the Jagan government wants that no credit should be given to Naidu at the inaugural event, for which the company authorities agreed.
In fact, it was only in January that the Kia Motors had invited Naidu to the plant and felicitated him on the completion of Kia Plant.
It was the same person Kook Hyun Shim who had hailed Naidu for his excellent cooperation and gave all credit to him. Now, he has to remain silent!
