YS Jagan - Vizag SteelUnion Government has decided to privatize the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and that has stoked public sentiment. The labour organizations have been protesting against this move in the Port City. Opposition parties are also joining the movement and it looks like the issue is going to become big.

At the same time, a video surfaced on Social media in which YSR Congress MPs are talking among themselves not to speak about the issue in the media until the Chief Minister takes a decision about it. This video has totally backfired on the Ruling Party providing credence to the Opposition’s allegations on the State Government being on the same page with the Union Government in the privatization.

This was supposed to be an unsettling issue for BJP and YSR Congress has to take a pie due to that video. This will be big trouble, both the parties feel with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation elections round the corner. YSR Congress feels the edge they got with three capitals may be lost with this issue.

About one lakh people are dependent on the steel plant, including 17,000 permanent employees and workers and 16,000 contract workers. The plant was set up in 1988 after a prolonged struggle to set it up in Visakhapatnam. In the Visakha Ukku – Andhrula hakku movement 32 people laid down their lives and 70 legislators, including MPs and MLAs, resigned from their posts demanding that the PSU is set up there. It is now the biggest PSU in the state.