VIJAYAWADA: Brushing aside the Opposition’s allegations of the state’s role in privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), the YSRC clarified Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had made his views clear and sought revival of the plant in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The allegations that the state is selling VSP to POSCO has no ground as it is the Centre that governs the steel plant,” YSRC official spokesperson Ambati Rambabu said on Thursday. He said the CM’s meeting with POSCO representatives was not concerning the steel plant, but to explore investment options. “The steel plant comes under the Centre and there is no way that the state government can sell it to a private company.”
Rambabu added the company representatives had met then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to explore investment opportunities, which was the same reason why they met Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The party spokesperson said the Union government had decided to privatise the steel plant in 2018 when Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister. “The steel plant was profitable till 2015, but it suffered heavy losses during the TDP rule.” The MLA also slammed Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan for finding fault with the CM’s letter to the Centre urging it to reconsider the disinvestment. He asked Pawan whether he took up the issue with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the former’s Delhi visit or if the meeting with Shah was for securing a ticket in Tirupati by-election.
“Pawan has a responsibility to convince the Centre to change its decision and hold the privatisation plan, as his party is in alliance with BJP.” Rambabu added the CM even wrote to the PM on the issue, and suggested measures that can be taken to reduce the losses of the steel plant. He asked why Naidu remained silent then when the Centre was considering the Vizag Steel disinvestment in 2015.