‘Farmers’ agitation should inspire steel plant workers’
The Hindu
United stand would force Centre to rethink its decision: CPI(M) leader
CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member B.V. Raghavulu on Sunday called upon steel plant workers to draw inspiration from the farmers’ agitation in Delhi and continue their united struggle to force the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre to repeal its decision on the strategic sale of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP).
Addressing a press meet on Sunday, Mr. Raghavulu said that the Centre has remained adamant in its stand despite all political parties supporting the agitation by VSP employees who have been organising relay hunger strikes for the past 297 days. He expressed optimism that if the steel workers remain united, the BJP government would be forced to repeal its decision.
Referring to the proposal of the Centre to privatise the coke oven batteries, he said that the CPI(M) was opposed to privatisation, be it partial or complete. He called upon all other parties to clarify their stand on the issue and appealed to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to take the lead and adopt another resolution in the Assembly against the privatisation of VSP to increase pressure on the Centre to reconsider its decision.
Everyone talks about the Airport Metro, but one look at the pillars and completion seems nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, a faster, cheaper, roomier alternative called the Suburban Rail Airport Corridor is finally getting off the drawing board. This dedicated corridor with its specialised coaches will link the airport to vast stretches of Bengaluru, where the metro connection is still years away.