Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has asserted that the Visakha Steel Plant will not be privatized under any circumstances. Amid uproar over Narendra Modi-led government efforts to privatize the plant, he said that the steel factory is a sentimental one to the people of the state. He assured that the state government will extend all-out support for the plant to continue in the public sector.
He recalled that even during Vajpayee’s regime, his government has supported the plant by giving additional funds. He said that recently he had a meeting with the Union Minister of Steel HD Kumaraswamy, who assured that the Ministry is going ahead to release some money and operate the plant.
Admitting that it is the responsibility of the state government to explore ways to make it profitable permanently, the Chief Minister suggested that the employees and trade union leaders also should think about their responsibility in this regard. At the same time, he also asked the management to think, though it is a good plant, why it is facing losses, at the same time private plants in the country are earning profits.
Chandrababu Naidu said that as Chief Minister he would also pay attention to all these issues. At the same time, he made it clear that if there is a loss of thousands of crores of rupees, it would be foolish for someone to take care of it. He said that one should work hard and use intelligence to make profits.
He said that in order to uphold the slogan of “Visakha Steel Andhra’s Right”, there should be a change in the attitude of everyone. The Chief Minister said that the plant is the biggest in the state and it has attached more sentiments to the people of the state. But, he said that mere sentiments will not resolve problems.
The Chief Minister assured that he would try his best to save the plant from being privatized under any circumstances. He lamented the attitude of the YCP leaders who are trying to provoke the local people and also politicize the issue, but never asked the Center to stop privatization even once in the last five years.
Naidu recalled that as opposition leader he suggested to lead an all-party delegation to the Center on this issue; there was no response from the then state government.