Botsa Seeks Govt’s Stand on VSP Privatisation

Visakhapatnam: Leader of the Opposition in the AP Legislative Council, Botsa Satyanarayana, has demanded that the coalition government clearly state its opposition to the privatisation of the Vizag Steel Plant (VSP).

Speaking to the media in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, he argued that the package provided by the Centre is part of the privatisation move, citing the numerous conditions attached to it. He pointed out that a similar package was given to the neighboring state without any conditions, whereas the Rs 11,000 crore package for VSP includes several riders.

Satyanarayana questioned why salaries had not been paid to the staff so far and criticised the lack of assurance from the Prime Minister, Union home minister, or the Chief Minister regarding the non-privatisation of VSP. He reminded that the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government had previously opposed VSP's privatisation, a stance acknowledged by the Centre. He questioned why the coalition had not clearly communicated its opposition to privatisation while sharing the platform with the Prime Minister or home minister.