The Union government has to repeal the three farm laws and the proposal to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, as both of them were ‘anti-people’ policies, said Navkiran Natt, a journalist from Punjab.
She was here to participate in a meeting organised by the CPI-ML (Liberation) to protest against the privatisation of the VSP.
“We demand on behalf of the farmers to unconditionally repeal the three farm laws by the Union government, as they will facilitate handing over of agriculture from farmers to the hands of agri-corporate companies,” she said.
Dr. Natt said that if the government was really keen on doing something good for the farmers, then it should strengthen its logistic supply chain, better the mandi system and give reasonable minimum support price. “The idea that farmers from Andhra Pradesh can sell their produce in Punjab is just an eyewash to misguide the farmers,” she said.
She said that the steel plant cannot be privatised as it is one of the biggest shore-based integrated plants and lakhs of families are dependent on it in one way or the other.
The concept of public sector was established with the idea of public service and employment generation and India still needs public sector, as it is the base of the economy, she said.
On the other hand, private sector’s only concern is profitability and it does not match with the country’s economic condition, as the wealth of the nation will then be concentrated within a few families, she said.
Brijen Tiwari, Member, National Working Committee, All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), said that employees from all public sector steel plants, including from the SAIL, are with the employees of the VSP and support the stir.
The Union government had written off ₹5.85 lakh crore of private sector corporate debt between 2018-2021, while the same government was not ready to forego public sector debt,” he said.
B. Bangarao, CPI-ML (Liberation) A.P. Secretary, alleged that the YSRCP and the TDP are competing and supporting the policies of the Union government and pretending to be fighting along with the people. He warned that people are noticing this hypocrisy and they will teach them a lesson.
P.S. Ajay Kumar, District Convener, CPI-ML (Liberation), and others spoke.