VISAKHAPATNAM: The YSRC has decided to organise a rally— ‘Visakha Steel Plant Parirakshana Porata Yatra’—covering all the Assembly segments on February 20 protesting against privatisation of the steel plant, YSRC Rajya Sabha MP V Vijayasai Reddy announced on Tuesday.
Addressing mediapersons, he said that the padayatra will commence from Gandhi statue at the GVMC office at 8.30 am and culminate into a public meeting at Kurmannapalem. “The 25-km-long yatra will cover Visakhapatnam East, West, North and Gajuwaka Assembly segments,” the MP said.
Vijayasai stated that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is trying for an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him of Andhra Pradesh people’s sentiments regarding Visakhapatnam Steel Plant’s privatisation. It may be noted that Jagan has already written a letter to the Prime Minister to rethink the decision and also suggested alternatives for reviving the steel plant. The YSRC yatra assumes significance in the wake of the announcement of elections to the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) on March 10.
“The YSRC won’t tolerate if the VSP is privatised. We will intensify our agitation,” Vijayasai said, adding that the government has made its stand clear against VSP privatisation and “we are ready for any kind of agitation.”
Vijayasai said they believe the plant will be on a recovery path, if captive iron ore mines are allocated and loans taken for project expansion are converted into equity.
Stating that the steel plant workers’ unions had put forward three demands which include Assembly resolution against the privatisation, and meeting with the CM and the PM, Vijayasai said MPs of various parties will meet Modi and apprise him of people’s opposition to the Centre’s move.
He lashed out at TDP for its stand on steel plant privatisation as it did not oppose when the proposal was made initially. The CM will never change his stance unlike TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, he said.
CM likely to meet PM on steel plant issue
CM Jagan Mohan Reddy is trying for an appointment with the PM to apprise him of the sentiments of people of AP against privatisation of the steel plant, the MP said.