YSRC will stall Parliament on Vizag steel plant issue: Vijayasai

VISAKHAPATNAM: YSRC MP V Vijayasai Reddy has said the party will raise the issue of privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in the ensuing Parliament session. “We will stall the House proceedings demanding withdrawal of the Centre’s decision to privatise the steel plant,’’ the MP said.Vijayasai Reddy, along with Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, met the leaders of VSP employees’ unions, which have been agitating for the past 150 days against divestment, here on Wednesday. 

He extended the party support to the two-day dharna proposed by the Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on August 2 and 3. Making it clear that the YSRC is totally opposed to privatisation of the steel plant, he said they will meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Steel Minister Ramchandra Prasad Singh and apprise them of the sentiments of people of Andhra with regard to the steel plant which was realised after a long struggle.

He also recalled that the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution against the privatisation of the steel plant. “The Centre should take steps to turn loss making PSUs into profit making industries,’’ he said, adding that they have already made some suggestions to revive RINL.

Tourism Minister Srinivasa Rao said it was not correct to privatise national assets. “The Centre has unilaterally taken the decision to privatise the steel plant. Our MPs will bring pressure on the Centre with the support of non-BJP and other parties during the Parliament session to give up the proposal,” he said, mentioning that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote two letters to the Centre urging it to reconsider the divestment proposal. 

The YSRC Parliamentary Party will meet on Thursday to discuss the strategy to be adopted in the ensuing Parliament session. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will brief the YSRC MPs about the stance to be taken by the party on different issues in the Parliament session, Vijayasai said.