YSRCP pooh-poohs Opposition charges

Amaravati: Brushing aside the allegations of Opposition on the state's role in privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu said the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has made his view clear in the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The allegations that the state is selling VSP to Korean company POSCO stands no ground as it is the Centre that governs the steel plant, he added.

Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, the Sattenapalli MLA affirmed that the state government meeting with POSCO company is not regarding the steel plant but for investment options.

The steel plant is a central government organisation and there is no possibility for the state government to sell it for a private company. Rejecting the allegations of state government having talks with POSCO to sell the plant, Rambabu said that the company people have also met Chandrababu Naidu during his term for investments, and they met Chief Minister to explore investment opportunities.

He said that the Union government had taken a decision to privatise the steel plant in 2018 when Chandrababu Naidu was Chief Minister. He stated that the steel plant was in a profitable condition until 2015, but all of a sudden it ran into a pile of losses, which was during TDP rule.

The MLA slammed Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan for finding fault with the letter written by Chief Minister S Jagan Mohan Reddy to the Central government urging to reconsider the decision of disinvestment. He asked Pawan Kalyan whether he has taken up the disinvestment of steel plant issue with Union home minister Amit Shah during his meeting with him or is it for securing a ticket in Tirupati byelection. He said that Pawan has got a responsibility to convince the Union government in changing its decision to hold back the privatisation, as he is in alliance with BJP.

He reiterated that the Chief Minister shall only work for the development of the state prioritising state interests.