Will Not Fight with Modi on Steel Plant: PK

Visakhapatnam: Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan has stated categorically that he would not fight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the central government’s plan to privatize the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

“As an NDA partner, I would continue to negotiate with the PM and persuade him to drop the plan,” the JS leader said at a media meet he held to explain the “success” of his Varahi Vijaya Yatra, which concluded here on Friday.

Pawan put the onus on the state government to fight and save the steel plant. "The YSRC with 151 MLAs and 30 MPs is better placed to put pressure on the central government to get captive mines. However, chief minister Jagan Reddy is reluctant to do this due to his own personal interests,’’ the Jana Sena chief said.

“I went to Delhi along with other JS leaders and met the home minister and prime minister repeatedly to save the steel plant from privatization. The Jana Sena strongly believes that the infrastructure-linked industries like steel plants should remain in the public sector,” he said.

He added, “The response has been positive and Modi has been thinking about our request. We told him that the steel plant is sentimentally connected to entire AP, for which 35 people gave away their lives.’’
 
Finally, the people have to fight for the plant the way a mass movement saved the Salem steel plant from privatization, he said.

Accusing the YSRC government of total destruction of the state, particularly north Andhra -- as he noticed during his Varahi Yatra -- Pawan said the chief minister was basically a businessman and not a politician.

“Had he been a politician, he would have had fear of the people,’’ the Jana Sena leader said.

Pawan said the YSRC government has been exploiting the north Andhra region by grabbing thousands of acres of valuable lands. It keeps harassing dalits over small stretches of land. “There aren't enough schools in the region and  corruption is evident at every level,” he said.

Stating that even agency areas were not spared by the government in the matter of exploitation, PK said contractors with support from ruling party members are mining bauxite in the name of laterite in 16 villages of Natavaram mandal of Anakapalli district.

“Out of six mines, the AP high court gave permission for excavations in only one mine, limiting the volume to 5,000 tonnes. But the contractors have mined six lakh tonness in the last four years. “The contractors made '13,000 crore from the mining of laterite but it is not known who is benefiting from the loot,’’ Pawan said.

Answering a question, the JS leader said he was ready to take up the post of chief minister if the people elected sufficient number of MLAs from his party in the coming polls.