Ganta resigns from his MLA post opposing Visakhapatnam Steel Plant privatisation

Visakhapatnam: The Centre has not only failed to give promised facilities to Visakhapatnam and Andhra Pradesh but instead decided to hand Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) over to the private management, pointed out MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao here on Saturday.

After tendering his letter submitting resignation to his MLA post to the AP Legislative Assembly Speaker, the Visakhapatnam North Constituency MLA said he decided to submit his resignation in support of the ongoing agitation against the Centre's move to privatise the VSP.

Speaking to the media, Ganta said the VSP gained a special place in the world market along with earning a sound reputation for Vizag. "VSP should not be considered an industry but as a heartbeat of Andhra people. It is not fair to privatise the organisation just because it is not making profits. Such a move is as good as separating the head from a human body," Ganta said.

As a resident of Visakhapatnam, the MLA said, his resignation to the post is to express solidarity with the protestors and a step towards the massive movement to protect the plant. "Many lives were sacrificed in the process of establishing steel plant in the City of Destiny. At least we should be willing to let go of our post," Ganta emphasised.

Terming the protest as people's fight, the MLA exhorted people to come together for a collective battle which should go beyond political parties and region in order to mount pressure on the Union government to withdraw its decision.

"Even when Visakhapatnam was announced as executive capital, I have welcomed the decision crossing the party's line," he reiterated and mentioned that he appealed to the Assembly Speaker to accept his resignation once the privatisation of VSP becomes realty.

Earlier, the MLA urged the public representatives not to step back to submit their resignation letters to save the steel plant. Ganta underlined the need to form a non-political joint action committee and work towards protecting the VSP from getting privatised.

For a long time now, the MLA has been refraining himself from the party activities. His resignation comes in the wake of the Centre's move to hand over VSP to the private player. However, the Opposition parties pointed out that the resignation letter of the MLA is not in the 'required format' and hence will not be accepted.