Is the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant agitation losing its steam?

There is a lack of strong support from MPs to the stir, say Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee leaders

In January 2021, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the 100% strategic sale of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnan Steel Plant. Since then, the employees and union members from various political fronts have been staging an agitation, which at one point of time had scaled a good height.

But of late, the tempo of the agitation appears to have slowed down, especially at a time when the Union Government had already appointed the legal advisory committee and the transaction advisory committee. It has also recently short-listed three firms from 10 companies who had bid for the appointment of the valuation committee.

“It appears that the agitation is losing its steam, and we need to revive it as soon as possible,” feel many of the leaders from various trade unions, who are also part of the Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee (VUPPC).

VUPPC is the umbrella committee consisting of all unions and employees that has taken up the fight against the privatisation move.

One main reason cited by the VUPPC leaders is the lack of strong support from the Members of Parliament, including from the ruling party, in the State.

The steel plant was set up in Visakhapatnam after a long struggle in which over 30 people had lost their lives in November 1966. This was followed by the resignation of about 66 MLAs and about 7 MPs from the Left parties. The slogan ‘Visakha Ukku- Andhrula Hakku’ had rocked both the houses of Parliament.

“But that kind of support seems to be missing. The MPs from the ruling YSR Congress Party on the face of it appear to support our agitation, but it is not translating into a strong demand in Parliament. They may have their own political agenda or equations, which is not helping the agitation here,” said J. Ramakrishna of AITUC and member of VUPPC.