The arrest of leaders of the Left parties, Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee, trade unions and people’s organisations, who were staging a protest at Maddilapalem Junction on Friday, came in for severe condemnation.
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The arrested leaders raised slogans denouncing the Centre’s decision to completely divest its stake in the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) and the action of the State government in arresting the leaders, who were staging a peaceful protest seeking protection of the VSP.
A rasta roko was organised under the aegis of the committee, on the call given by the Left parties and trade unions against the privatisation of the VSP. Committee member V. Krishna Rao alleged that the police had arrested leaders and workers, who were staging a peaceful protest.
CPI(M) district secretary K. Lokanadham and CPI district secretary B. Venkataramana said that the VSP was achieved after prolonged struggles and 32 people died in the agitations. The plant was providing livelihood to one lakh persons apart from contributing to the growth of the north Andhra region.
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They called upon the people to oppose the move of the Centre and to demand allocation of captive mines to the plant.
CITU leader R.K.S.V. Kumar, AIFTU leader Ganesh Panda, AITUC leaders G. Vamana Murthy, M. Vamana Murthy, Committee leaders M.S. Raju and B. Ramana Murthy were among those who participated in the agitation at Maddilapalem.
Traffic on the National Highway at Kurmannapalem came to a standstill as a rasta roko was organised demanding that the Centre revoke its decision. The participants raised slogans ‘Visakha Ukku – Andhrula Hakku’ and there was a scuffle as the police took into custody some of the leaders.
CPI(M) State secretariat member Ch. Narasinga Rao announced that the the committee has decided to organise ‘Visakha bandh’ on March 5 to exert pressure on the Centre.
He appealed to the Union government not to go ahead with the tenders. He also urged prospective bidders not to file tenders, failing which they would not be allowed to come into Visakhapatnam. CPI State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy alleged that the Centre, which had promised to provide jobs to the youth was rendering them jobless by privatising the public sector units.