Political parties vow united fight to save Visakha steel plant

Tirupati: Speakers from various political parties asserted that they would not allow the sale of Visakha Steel Plant. Political leaders want people of AP to join hands with them in order to intensify the movement to pressurise the Centre to take back its proposal of selling the profitable industry.

Under the banner of Visakha Ukku Parirakshna Porata Committee (VUPPC) , an all-party meeting was held at TMR function hall here on Thursday, where leaders of various political parties including TDP, Jana Sena, CPI, CPM, Congress and YSRCP participated.

Speaking on the occasion, VUPPC state chairman Ch Narsinga Rao said that he want s all the political parties to join in state-wide bandh that would be conducted on February 23 for saving the steel factory.

"Fifty-three MLAs and seven MPs from opposition parties resigned to achieve steel factory at Visakhapatnam and 32 persons sacrificed their lives at the time of its estblishment. Centre is planning to hand over the factory to South Korean steel company POSCO," he said

''It is not proper to sell profit making Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) like Vizag Steel Plant which has earned Rs 700 crore profit in 2021 with the turnover of Rs 10,000 crore," he added.

MLC Yandapalli Srinivasulu said that the Centre is keen on handing over the plant to a foreign company which should be opposed by everyone in the state.

CPI national secretary K Narayana said that sale of VSP would be stopped if Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Mizoram Governor Kambampati Haribabu and Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya who directly took part in the Visakha steel movement in 1970s make a strong case with the Centre against the privatization.

Pasupuleti Hariprasad (Jana Sena), Gottimukkala Raghuramaraju (TNTUC of TDP), Naveen Kumar Reddy (Congress), P Anjaiah (Republican Party of Inida), CPI and CPM leaders declared that they will join in the steel plant protection fight from the district.

Interestingly, the YSRCP leader and Chittoor MP Reddeppa said that on the directions of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, all the party MPs will participate in the movement to stop sale of the steel plant which has been providing employment to thousands of people.

Later, the leaders elected P Murali of AITUC as chairman, L Ratnakumar of INTUC as convener and Kandarapu Murali from CITU as co-convener of the Chittoor district unit of VUPPC.