Visakhapatnam: BJP to stay away from Ukku Bandh

Visakhapatnam: The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to stay away from agitations opposing the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

While the Left-wing parties, trade unions, and other opposition parties have decided to participate in State bandh on March 5, the BJP has made it clear that it is not going to take part in the bandh called by the Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee. When asked why the BJP was refraining from participating in the State-wide bandh, BJP MLC PVN Madhav said that the State unit of the BJP had already brought the VSP issue to the notice of the Union government and efforts will be made to convince the Centre to reconsider its disinvestment proposal.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha member GVL Narasimha Rao mentioned that efforts are being made to ensure that Andhra people's voice reaches the Centre. The Left parties and the trade unions have alleged that the BJP-led NDA government continues to show double standards when it comes to privatisation of the VSP.

While on one hand, the Union government is slowly steering clear of its disinvestment plan of the VSP, the state BJP leaders continue to assure that the plant will not be shifted anywhere else apart from Visakhapatnam and maintain that no concrete step has been taken by the Centre related to privatisation thus far.

Earlier, a delegation of BJP leaders, including the party's state president Somu Veerraju claimed that they had submitted a memorandum to the Union Steel Minister, encapsulating the sentiments of Andhra people.

Somu Veerraju had even maintained that no notification has been issued with regards to the privatisation of VSP and the plant will remain in Vizag as a PSU.

The other day, the state BJP president slammed both the YSRCP and the TDP, accusing them of provoking the people to gain a political mileage.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement notwithstanding the mounting protests that the government has no business to remain in business clearly indicates the BJP's resolve to privatise the VSP.