AP BRS to fight privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant
Andhra Pradesh requires a visionary and committed leader like Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to fight against the BJP-led Centre's crooked plans, said AP BRS Chief
Hyderabad: Stating that Andhra Pradesh requires a visionary and committed leader like Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to fight against the BJP-led Centre’s crooked plans, AP BRS Chief Thota Chandrashekhar Rao asserted that the BRS would wage a battle against the privatization of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP).
After State bifurcation, many assurances were made to Andhra Pradesh under the AP Reorganisation Act. But not even one was fulfilled and unfortunately both Telugu Desam and the ruling YSRCP lacked the courage to question the Centre.
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The BRS party AP unit’s first meeting was held in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. The city was decked up with BRS hoardings and posters with ‘Ab ki Baar Kisan Sarkar’ slogans. Addressing the gathering, the AP BRS Chief said VSP was achieved after a long fight and sacrifices of many people, especially students and youngsters. People from 60 villages had offered 26,000 acres voluntarily for establishing VSP.
The total assets of VSP were valued at nearly Rs 3 lakh crore but the Centre was valuing it at only Rs 35,000 crore. The Centre’s contribution to the plant was Rs 5,000 crore but in return the VSP, through dividends, taxes and other means, had paid Rs 50,000 crore to the Centre, he said.
However, the Centre under its disinvestment and privatization plans, was planning to hand over the VSP to private players. Despite this, why was the ruling YSRCP with a strength of 31 MPs not raising its voice, he asked, pointing out that the Centre had already issued an Expression of Interest on March 27 and invited working capital. The deadline was set as April 15.
If the YSRCP government was committed to protecting the VSP, it should allot Rs.5000 crore as loan or investment and recover the same from VSP, Chandrashekhar said.
Calling for a people’s movement to save VSP, he said no leader but BRS President K Chandrashekhar Rao was challenging the BJP government on its corruption, unemployment and lack of development in the country and injustice meted out to Telugu States. Pointing out that the Kaleshwaram Project was completed in 3.5 years investing about Rs 1.30 lakh crore, he said on the contrary, the Polavaram project was still dragging along.
Despite adequate water, fertile lands, rivers and a rich haul of intellectuals as well, Andhra Pradesh was lagging behind in development.
“Telangana developed due to the vision and leadership of K Chandrashekhar Rao and Andhra Pradesh needs such a leader” Chandrashekhar said.
