AP BRS to protest against Vizag steel plant sale

The AP BRS chief said the BJP-led Centre was conspiring to hand over the VSP to corporate giants, which were reeling under losses

Hyderabad: The BRS Andhra Pradesh unit is gearing up to stage widespread protests opposing the Centre’s plans to privatise the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP).

This was after BRS working president KT Rama Rao directed Andhra Pradesh BRS chief T Chandrashekhar to oppose the VSP privatisation plans. Accordingly, the AP BRS chief is leaving for Visakhapatnam on Saturday and would hold a meeting with VSP worker unions on Monday.

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In a statement issued on Friday, the AP BRS chief said the BJP-led Centre was conspiring to hand over the VSP to corporate giants, which were reeling under losses. The AP BRS would involve people from all sections and oppose such evil intentions, he said.

As part of large-scale ploys, since 2015, the VSP was being pushed into losses. Despite such crooked plans, the VSP recorded marginal profits in the 2021-22 fiscal, he said, adding that the company also registered a Rs 30,000-crore annual turnover.

The Centre, as part of its plot to encourage private partnership in the VSP, also issued expression of interest. Save for the BRS, no other political party in Andhra Pradesh opposed the BJP government’s move and turned mute spectators, he said.

Accusing all political parties of turning into puppets at the hands of the BJP, the AP BRS chief dared the saffron party leaders to respond to Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao’s open letter on the Centre’s plans to privatise the VSP.

Thota Chandrashekhar Rao said Chief Minister and BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao announced a clear policy on the issue of VSP privatisation and accordingly, a strong public movement would be conducted.

“Nearly 32 Telugu people, cutting across regions, have sacrificed their lives for the cause of saving VSP. It will be a historic mistake to ignore their sacrifices” Chandrashekhar said, adding that if people from all sections joined hands, all the evil plans of the BJP government could be nipped in the bud.