All these days, firebrand YSR Congress party leader R K Roja had been fighting a battle of sorts with her rivals, not from the Telugu Desam Party, but from within the YSRC in her own assembly constituency Nagari.
She expressed her disgust over the group politics in Nagari several times openly and at one stage, she had even broken down before the assembly privileges committee for being denied basic protocol facilities in her own constituency.
Though Roja had been loyal to party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, she was upset several times as Jagan appointed the party leaders who had been openly opposing her leadership in Nagari and have been running a parallel group within the party in prominent positions.
At one stage Roja was losing the grip on her constituency, as senior minister from Chittoor Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy was dominating the entire district politics, including in Nagari.
She also had no hope on securing a berth in the state cabinet, as Peddireddy was expected to retain his berth.
But luck favoured Roja as Jagan has acknowledged her loyalty and commitment and gave her a berth in the state cabinet during the recent reshuffle. Naturally, she is now on cloud nine.
Now that Roja is a minister now, her clout in the party in Nagari constituency has gone up. So, when she came to Nagari on Tuesday, she was accorded a rousing reception by her followers and local people.
And Roja chose the occasion to send a strong message to her rivals within the party and particularly Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy group.
“The political calculation was different till now. Hereafter, the equations will be different,” she said.
Roja said those who campaigned that her career would be finished would have to shut their mouths now, as Jagan had made her a minister.
“The people of Nagari gave me a political life by electing me twice. Some people campaigned that I won’t get the YSRC ticket in the next elections. They would be paid in their own coin. I will show them what I am,” she thundered.
Roja had been sulking for a few months ever since Jagan appointed Reddivari Chakrapani Reddy from Nagari as the chairperson of Srisailam temple trust board.
Chakrapani Reddy has been her strong opponent in Nagari. During the recent mandal parishad elections in Nindra mandal, Chakrapani Reddy fielded candidates from his own group to defeat the followers of Roja.
In as many as five mandals in Nagari constituency, Roja was facing revolt from within the YSRC. This would ultimately affect her prospects of -getting re-elected as the MLA in the next elections.
