The privatisation of the Visakha Steel Plant and the issues surrounding the matter have become the talk of the town, with all political parties in the state of Andhra Pradesh against the privatisation of the steel plant, which provides employment to lakhs of people. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy even wrote a few letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting for the PM to withdraw the decision of privatising VSP.
However, there has been no response from the PM yet. On the other hand, while the opposition parties are opposing the privatisation of the plant, their protests are neither strong enough nor are being heeded by the Central government. With the privatisation of the steel plant becoming a national issue, The Congress Party’s leader Rahul Gandhi is said to be interested in visiting Visakhapatnam and meet with the employees union leaders of the plant very soon.
Given that the plant was materialised under his grandmother Indira Gandhi’s Prime Ministership, Rahul Gandhi is said to be interested in invoking his grandmother’s sentiment in the city. He is also said to be interested in reminding the people of AP the relationship that the Congress party and his family has with the state, as Indira Gandhi had herself contested and won from the Medak district of the undivided state of AP. With all of this, Rahul is said to be of the thought of beginning the anti-Modi tirade in the state. Nevertheless, considering that the Congress party has become inconsequential in AP, it is to be seen how much importance people will give to Rahul Gandhi’s visit.