VIJAYAWADA: The State government has extended support to the March 26 Bharat Bandh, which was called to protest against the Centre’s decision to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) and the farm laws brought by the Centre. All the government institutions will open only after 1 pm and State-run RTC buses will hit the roads only after 1 pm.
In the wake of the bandh, public life will not be completely obstructed and all the emergency health services will run as usual. Minister for Information and Public Relations Perni Venkataramaiah said the State government was against the privatisation of the steel plant and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had written letters to the Centre suggesting alternatives to help the organisation come out of the crisis. Though the State government stepped in to take complete responsibility of the plant, the Centre absurdly asked the State to participate in an open auction and place a bid, he added.He appealed to farmers associations to cooperate and observe the bandh peacefully without any untoward incidents that cause inconvenience to the general public.
Meanwhile, the opposition TDP also extended its support to the Bharat bandh. In a statement, TDP AP president K Atchannaidu asserted that the TDP would extend its full support to the bandh and continue its protests against the government’s decision to fix meters to agricultural pump sets. For the sake of getting loans, the AP government was putting the farmers’ future at risk, he alleged. Stating that the decision to privatise the steel plant hurt the sentiments of all sections of people in the State, he said the YSRC government was adopting double standards and taking decisions against the interests of the people.