Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has proved his political acumen once again by touching the emotive issue of divestment in public sector undertakings (PSUs) by the BJP government at the Centre.
The employees and workers unions of several PSUs were agitating against the move of the BJP, saying it would ruin several premier institutions of the nation while private corporates would whisk away the fruits, even as lives of employees would be dragged to the crossroads.
Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao raised the disinvestment issue on Wednesday during the Parliamentary Party and Legislature Party meeting at Telangana Bhavan. He assured employees and workers unions of PSUs including Life Insurance Corporation of India, BHEL and others that TRS would stand behind them for their fight against the Central government.
He assured workers and union leaders of leading their movement personally to build pressure on the BJP government at the Centre. Hyderabad is the hub of various PSUs, which includes BHEL, Bharat Dynamics Ltd, Electronics Corporation of India Ltd, Hindustan Fluorocarbons Ltd, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd and Sponge Iron India Ltd.
Apart from the Central PSUs, Hyderabad had a large number of employees of the Life Insurance Corporation, South-Central Railway, BSNL and BHEL, some of which were already on cards for disinvestment, and whose employees have been opposing the move of the Centre.
Rao raked the issue of LIC, BSNL and Indian railways even as he extended support from the TRS to the nationwide strike of trade unions on November 26 against disinvestment and the anti-worker policies of the BJP.
This struck political gold with employees opposing privatisation of public sector units coming out in support of the TRS for the upcoming GHMC elections. Thousands of CPSU employees in the city, employee organisations from the LIC, BSNL and SCR held demonstrations at their union offices in the city to thank Chief Minister Rao. Trade unions of BSNL, LIC and SCR passed resolutions expending support to the TRS in the GHMC polls.
BSNL employee’s union leaders Sampath Rao, Samba Siva Rao, Sushil Kumar, Chandramouli, LIC employee’s union leaders Thirupathaiah, Mehboob and Rajendra Babu said they would extend full support to TRS in GHMC polls.
Telangana State Planning Board vice chairman and TRS politburo member B Vinod Kumar participated in meetings of employees’ associations of BSNL and the LIC.
