It is time Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy joined the VSP agitation and took up the issue of privatisation of the plant with the Prime Minister directly.
This was the opinion of all the leaders of Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee, who staged a maha dharna on completion of the 300 days of agitation, at Gajuwaka here, on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister should invite all parties and form a common delegation and lead from the front to New Delhi, said Ch. Adinarayana, one of the chairmpersons of the porata committee.
A maha dharna was organised by the committee at Old Gajuwaka junction to mark 300th day of its agitation against privatisation of the steel plant.
Over 1,500 people comprising employees and members of various trade unions and political leaders participated in the dharna.
Addressing the dharna, porata committee leaders said they woud intensify the agitation and lead it as the farmers had done in New Delhi against the farm laws.
The leaders urged all parties, trade unions and members from the civil society to come forward and scale it up, till the Union Government is forced to repeal the decision. “VSP is not just any other steel plant, but it comes wrapped with the sentiments of the people of Andhra, as over 30 people had sacrificed their lives for the setting up of the plant and we willot allow it to be sold to a private party,” said Mr. Adinarayana.
TDP urban president Palla Srinivasa Rao said the response from the Chief Minister had been lukewarm and guarded. It was time that he took a stand, he said.
Gajuwaka MLA Tippala Nagi Reddy said he would bring the ongoing agitation to the notice of the Chief Minister.
He said the committee was successful in mobilising support from people of various districts and trade unions.
He said the YSRCPhad always supported the agitation and would continue to do so.
Former MLA Chintalapudi Venkatramaiah, Jana Sena PAC member Kona Tata Rao, corporators A J Stalin, B Ganga Rao and Dalli Govind and others addressed the dharna.
They said the central government was imposing a burden on a common man at the same time it was offering incentives to corporate houses.
Porata committee leader J Simhachalam presided over the meeting.
