Naidu may change his stance on VSP privatisation if given an opportunity, alleges IT Minister

IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath criticizes TDP-BJP-JSP alliance for supporting Visakhapatnam Steel Plant privatization, questioning Naidu's credibility.

There is no doubt that the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance would go ahead with the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) if given a chance, IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath said.

Addressing a press conference in the city on Monday, Mr. Amarnath, who is the ruling YSRCP’s candidate from Gajuwaka Assembly constituency, said people of the State were well aware of TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu’s history of changing his stance numerous times on various issues, citing the example of how the former Chief Minister who had once vociferously demanded Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh later changed tack by settling for a ‘special package’ from the Centre instead.

“It is surprising to see Mr. Naidu joining hands with the BJP, which has been advocating the privatisation of VSP. Now, he is promising voters that he will stop privatisation of the steel plant. He cannot hoodwink people any longer,” Mr. Amarnath said.

Lashing out at the TDP chief over his remarks made at a ‘Praja Galam’ rally on Sunday, Mr Amarnath said that the number of jobs created in the State and the number of investments brought in by the YSRCP government in the last five years were three times that of what the TDP government had achieved from 2014 to 2019.

“Mr. Naidu has also never come to power in the State on his own. He has always needed the support of other political parties,” Mr. Amarnath said.

“I come from a political family where my grandparents and parents all served the people and worked for the development of Gajuwaka region. I’m not someone like Mr. Naidu who entered politics by backstabbing someone,” Mr. Amarnath remarked.

He also accused TDP leaders of being involved in the stone-pelting incident on Chief Minister and YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in Vijayawada. “Mr. Naidu is unable to digest the response that Mr. Jagan is getting in his public programmes. He has realised that he is going to lose in the coming elections, so he has started resorting to such attacks,” Mr. Amarnath alleged.