Visakhapatnam Steel Plant is not just a history of public sector. It is more than that. It is the pride of the Telugu people, who sacrificed their lives to get it in 1960s. It was the result of the highest sacrifice of 32 persons.
Now, such an institution is for sale – privatisation – by the BJP-led government at the Centre. Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, who is opposing the privatisation, is a political ally of the BJP.
If Pawan Kalyan is serious on stopping the privatisation as he spoke the other day, he should be in Delhi, meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and convince him.
Instead, Pawan Kalyan is holding protests in Andhra Pradesh and blaming the party which is in power in the state.
As he only said during his hour-long speech on Sunday at his party, the Visakha Steel Plant is owned by the Central government and the proposal to privatisation was moved by the Central government.
It is only the Central government which can take a final call on the issue and not the State government. So he should deal with the Central government on the issue and not the state government.
As he explained, it’s the BJP which can stop privatisation of the steel plant and develop it in the public sector. So Pawan Kalyan should mount pressure or blame the BJP and finally protect the institution and not the regional party which is in power here.
He said that he could stop privatisation of Dredging Corporation of India from being privatised. When he was able to stop privatisation of Dredging Corporation, why can’t he do the same in stopping privatisation of the steel plant?
Going by all these factors, one wonders who is stopping Pawan Kalyan from meeting Prime Minister Modi and getting the plans withdrawn to privatise the steel plant.
Mr Pawan Kalyan, it is right time for you to win the people. Take up the steel plant issue, talk to prime minister Modi and get the issues resolved.
