As agitations against the Centre's decision to privatise the historic Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) only intensify in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his second, on the matter, and urged him to withdraw the decision.
In his letter, the CM reportedly sought an appointment with the PM saying that he would bring an all-party delegation to New Delhi to discuss, in detail, the alternatives to privatising the plant. He added that he would also bring the representatives of the workers' unions along with the all party leaders so that the opinions of all the stake holders could be put before the PM.
Further, Reddy brought up the remarks made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the plant's privatisation, and pointed out that they had caused serious concern to the people of the state. He highlighted the emotional and cultural significance of the VSP to the people of the city and the state, and reiterated his appeal to the PM not to disinvest from the plant. He added that 20,000 families were directly dependent for their livelihoods on it.
The workers of the VSP, who have been getting the support of most parties in the state, have been engaged in
protesting the decision for days now.
The plant is seen as a symbol of the self-respect and will power of the people of Andhra Pradesh, something evident in former AP CM Chandrababu Naidu's
condemnation of the Centre's proposal.