CPI(M) demand Centre, State shelve VSP privatisation plans

The CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao on Friday (September 19, 2025) demanded that the State and Central governments shelve their plans to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) and immediately cancel the Expression of Interest (EOI) issued to hand over some departments to private parties.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao also demanded allocation of iron ore assigned to the plant and also reinstate 5,000 contract employees removed from service. Speaking to media persons along with party central committee member K. Lokanadham and Visakhapatnam district secretary M. Jaggunaidu here on Friday, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that the previous YSR Congress Party government and the current government have failed to stop the steps to privatise the plant. “The present government is even resorting to suppress the agitations by not permitting the employees to stage demonstrations,” he said.

He alleged that all the parties, barring the BJP, had stood against the move to privatise the plant during the previous government but now the TDP and JSP withdrew their support.

On the slashing of GST slabs, the CPI(M) leader said that they have been opposing four slabs since the GST was introduced. “We demand Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who had passed a resolution in the State Assembly welcoming the GST reforms, to spell out how he is going to fill ₹8,000 crore that the State will not be getting with the GST reforms,” he said.

He also took a dig at the State government for giving away lands in Visakhapatnam for corporates and MNCs at a cheaper rate. “Several companies have taken land and announced crores of investment and creation of jobs but not many have started their operations. We demand a white paper on the allocations done to companies and how many of them have started their operations and the jobs created,” he said.