Tribal leader Nand Kumar Sai appointed Chhattisgarh industrial body chairman, given cabinet minister status

Veteran tribal leader Nand Kumar Sai, who joined the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh last month after quitting the BJP, was on Thursday appointed chairman of the Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC), a Cabinet-rank post, officials said.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's office posted the information about his appointment on its Twitter handle and congratulated him.

The state government has accorded the Cabinet minister rank to Sai following his appointment as the chairman of CSIDC, it said.

The Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are due this year-end.

On April 30 this year, Sai (77), a former three-term Lok Sabha MP and three-time MLA, quit the BJP, claiming the party leaders were trying to tarnish his image by hatching conspiracies and leveling false allegations against him.

He joined the Congress on May 1 and since then he was expected to get a bigger responsibility in the government.

In the past, Sai served as the BJP's state president in both Chhattisgarh and undivided Madhya Pradesh and has considerable influence in the tribal-dominated parts of Surguja division (northern Chhattisgarh).