The ruling Telugu Desam Party workers went on rampage on Wednesday, attacking the office of Deccan Chronicle English daily and staging a dharna there in protest against a news report which said the TDP alliance was not taking any steps to stop the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
On Friday, there were two important developments on that front. Union minister of steel H D Kumaraswamy and his deputy Bhupatiraju Srinivasa Varma visited the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and held discussions with the steel plant management and also the workers.
In the afternoon, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu came to Visakhapatnam and spoke about the ongoing agitation against steel plant privatisation.
However, both the Union ministers and the chief minister did not give any clarity on whether the Centre would withdraw the proposal for privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
Naidu reacted strongly to the report published in Deccan Chronicle and other newspapers and said they were just fake news.
He asked the people not to be misled by such reports. But he did not categorically say that there would no privatisation.
All that the chief minister said was that the government would take all steps to protect the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and see that it would run without any hassles.
On the other hand, Kumaraswamy, too, said there was nothing to worry about the survival of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
“I know thousands of people are surviving on the steel plant and it is our responsibility to safeguard it,” he said.
The Union Minister further said with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the steel plant would run with 100 percent capacity and operate to its optimum level, but did not say anything on the move to withdraw the privatisation proposal.
“I have understood that the Visakapatnam Steel Plant would play a big role in the economic development of the country. Several families are surviving on this plant for their livelihood and daily needs. There is no need for any of the worker to worry that this plant will be closed down,” Kumaraswamy said.
Though the statements have given some relief to the workers, they are still not sure whether the Centre will drop the privatisation plan.