VIJAYAWADA: BJP national secretary and State co-incharge Sunil Deodhar asserted that his party was in favour of privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), but promised that the rights of the employees will be protected by the Centre. Another national secretary Y Satya Kumar, however, clarified that the State unit will ‘try to influence’ the central leadership for a favourable outcome in the matter.
“BJP is for privatisation. It is not only in the case of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL), Visakhapatnam, but also it is the decision of the Narendra Modi government regarding all public sector undertakings (PSUs) barring those in a few sectors like defence and security. The government has no business to do business. The rights and well-being of employees is 100 per cent responsibility of the Centre. There is no doubt in it,” said national secretary and State co-incharge Sunil Deodhar, ahead of the State office-bearers’ meeting in Vijayawada on Saturday.
Y Satya Kumar too aired similar views but claimed the State unit will ‘try to influence’ the BJP central leadership for a favourable result. “All matters of policies will be discussed with the States by the Centre. But, as a political party that fights on public issues, we are committed to address the issues being raised by the employees and other stakeholders. It is the sovereign guarantee of the Centre,” he explained.
BJP leader blames political parties for false propaganda against Centre
After the office-bearers’ meeting, Visakhapatnam MLC and State general secretary PVN Madhav blamed political parties for false propaganda against the disinvestment policy of the Centre. “The idea is to take these industries to a next level in terms of productivity, revenue and others. There is a false propaganda being done by political parties that the industry will be closed down and employees will lose jobs. There is no truth in them. We will take all steps to allay the fears and apprehensions of all the stakeholders and do it in an amicable way agreeable to all stakeholders,” he said.
The state office-bearers also deliberated on party activities ahead of Tirupati Lok Sabha by-election, which is around the corner. As part of it, a Ratha Yatra from Kapila Theertham to Ramatheertham against ‘vandalisation of temples’ will be undertaken ‘shortly’, Madhav added. Though it was proposed to be taken up in February initially, it was postponed in view of local body elections. However, it remains to be seen how effective the ‘yatra’ would be as the issue of temple attacks is on the back burner with the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant issue taking centrestage and the party being on a sticky wicket after changing its stand following the Centre’s assertion on disinvestment.
However, to increase its stakes for the Tirupati parliamentary by-poll, the party has decided to take up another campaign. “If the BJP candidate, backed by Jana Sena, is elected, there may be a chance to induct the person into the Union Council of Ministers. We have decided to use this campaign for the bypoll,” a senior leader revealed after the office-bearers’ meeting.
In the office-bearers’ meeting, the party leaders also deliberated on ways to strengthen the party for the Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll by publicising central projects sanctioned and developed in the temple town, and to take up various awareness campaigns on the central schemes and also COVID-19 vaccination programme. Party State chief Somu Veerraju, in his opening remarks, asked the party members to be wary of ‘any kind of forces’ that the ruling party may use during the counting of municipal election votes.