‘Jagan should pressurise Centre to rethink its decision to sell VSP’

Atchannaidu calls for a united struggle to save the steel plant

February 12, 2021 11:39 pm | Updated 11:39 pm IST - VISAKHAPATNAM

TDP State president K. Atchannaidu speaking at a meeting organised to oppose the privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

TDP State president K. Atchannaidu speaking at a meeting organised to oppose the privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

TDP State president K. Atchannaidu on Friday alleged that POSCO officials had approached Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy after their attempts to set up a steel plant in Odisha was opposed in that State.

At a protest staged at Kurmannapalem here, Mr. Atchannaidu said the people were seeing through the game plan of the YSRCP, but the latter was trying to mislead them.

He, however, said all political parties and people of all the regions should unite to ‘save VSP’.

‘Onus is on CM’

It was the responsibility of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to lead the delegation of MPs to New Delhi and exert pressure on the Centre till it revoked its decision to sell its stake in the steel plant. Any attempt to derive political mileage out of the agitation was nothing but betrayal of the people, he observed.

Senior party leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu demanded that the Centre withdraw its proposal to privatise the VSP. Thousands of acres of land was allotted to the VSP to meet its future needs. It was the responsibility of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy to prevail upon the Centre to rethink its decision. He said private investors would be interested in their own profits but not the welfare of the employees.

Dig at Vijaya Sai

Another senior party leader Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu made a scathing attack on Rajya Sabha member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy, alleging that the YSRCP leader was trying to grab lands belonging to Simhachalam, MANSAS, Bay Park, and Karteeka Vanam, and was now eyeing the VSP land.

He alleged that the Chief Minister was feigning ignorance of the Centre’s decision, while former Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney had attended the meeting in New Delhi when the decision on VSP was taken by the Centre.

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