Visakhapatnam: Left-wing parties to intensify Ukku stir

Visakhapatnam: Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary K Ramakrishna pointed out that the BJP government was doing injustice by not according Special Category Status to the AP.

Expressing his ire on the Centre's decision to privatise the steel plant in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, he said people from various sections opposed the proposal of strategic sale of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

Along with Ramakrishna, CPI state assistant secretary JV Satyanarayana Murthy and others took part in the media conference and later in the public meeting held at the Steel Plant gate, Kurmannapalem.

The CPI state secretary said a state-wide bandh will be observed soon to protect the plant from privatisation. Ramakrishna said the BJP leaders who went to Delhi should return only after the Union government withdraws its decision of privatising the steel plant.

Referring to the letter written by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he pointed out that forwarding a letter alone is not sufficient to stop the privatisation move.

"The CM should take the issue forward and fight it out until justice is met. Apart from passing a resolution in the Assembly, the MPs should also resign from the post in order to exert pressure on the Centre," he opined. CPI (M) state secretary P Madhu said the movement will be intensified if the Centre fails to withdraw its proposal.

He mentioned that the fight for the plant will continue in the form of state-wide bandh, rasta-roko and collective protests. The Communist Party members made it clear that their fight will not end until steel plant's privatisation is withdrawn. Bandaru Srinivasa Rao of TDP explained the background of the agitation and said that TDP would stand by the people and would fight against privatisation of the steel plant.