VISAKHAPATNAM: On Friday, November 11, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Visakhapatnam, over 10,000 workers of RINL-Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) will be boycotting duties to put on record their differences with centre on its plan to disinvest its share in the prestigious steel plant.
Incidentally, Friday’s boycott of work will be the 639th protest VSP workers will be holding ever since February 3, 2021, the day they started their agitation against privatisation of the steel plant, established after a struggle of over two decades.
VSP staff, under the aegis of the Vizag Steel Plant Porata Samiti (VSPPS), are planning a massive bike rally with over 1,000 participants from Gurrampalem to Gandhi Statue opposite the GVMC office in Dwarakanagar on November 9.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, samiti convener Ayodhyaram pointed out that they have already started pasting posters “Modi Ji Stop Vizag Steel Plant Sale” at 10,000 different points in the city to show their anger against the centre's decision on the plant.
“We met Y.V. Subba Reddy and Vijayasai Reddy from YSRC, Ganta Srinivasa Rao from Telugu Desam and other BJP leaders for an appointment with the PM to explain our pledges and consequences if the plant is privatised. We are not protesting at the PM's public meeting venue due to security reasons. But we will start protests from November 9 till the PM leaves Vizag to ensure that our pain reaches him," Ayodhyaram said.
The issue of privatising VSP has become challenging for BJP and YSRC, as opposition parties have made scathing remarks against both the ruling parties at the centre and state for failing to protect the PSU from privatisation despite the two governments having a strong mandate.
TD leaders point out that their sitting MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao had resigned as MLA for the steel plant, but the Speaker did not accept his resignation. TD claimed no one from YSRC has taken such an extreme decision so far.
