Vijayawada: APCC Chief YS Sharmila Reddy alleged that the Centre was hatching a conspiracy for the failure of Visakha Steel Company. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to sell off the VSP to his businessmen friends at the lowest cost possible.
All the statements by the Centre about the protection of Visakha steel company are false, she said.
Speaking to mediapersons on Thursday, she alleged that the Centre always showed foster motherly love towards the steel plant. Modi has more love towards Kannada steel rather than Andhra's rights.
Though the Centre is saying that there would be no privatization, the Centre is not extending any help to the plant to ensure that it fails to register profits.
The Centre has extended Rs 15,000 crore aid to the Karnataka Steel Plant to save it, as Union Steel HD Kumaraswamy belongs to that state, she pointed out.
The Centre could not spend funds for the revival of Visakha Steel which has 26,000 employees but sanctioned heavy financial aid to Karnataka Steel Plant which has employed only 243 staff.
While JD(S) which has two MPs could get Rs 15,000 crores sanctioned, the TDP and Jana Sena parties which played a crucial role in the coalition government are only appeasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without any monetary gains. All the 18 MPs from the state are just bowing down before the Centre. This is ridiculous and it also reflects the inefficiency of the Parliamentarians from AP, she said.
At the same time, she fumed at Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for speaking about Mittal Steel with MOdi while the VSP employees are not getting their salaries, dip in production due to shortage of raw materials, and over 1,400 employees have been protesting demanding immediate sanction of aid from the Centre.
Sharmila demanded that VSP should also be sanctioned Rs 15,000 crore financial aid and also merger with SAIL. It would be better if the VSP can manufacture 7 million tonnes of steel. If these demands can't be met, it would be for the TDP and Jana Sena to come out of the NDA, she felt.
