The ongoing agitation against privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) has got a shot in the arm with Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan expressing his solidarity and agreeing to take it to the next level, provided he got support from all sections of the people and parties.
The actor, who enthrals thousands of his fans with his histrionics on screen, must have bowled over seasoned trade union leaders and steel workers with his knowledge on steel production, genesis and growth of the VSP and the reasons for its losses.
The JSP chief was in the city on Sunday to extend his solidarity to the striking workers of the VSP, who have been organising relay hunger strikes for over 260 days against the decision of the Union government on strategic sale of the VSP.
His visit to the steel plant, has been the hot topic of debate among steel plant workers, trade unions and on social media for the past few days.
Thousands of people participated in the public meeting held at the VSP and scores of others cheered him all along the route from the airport to the steel plant, when he went in a rally. A jumbo garland was lowered on him with the help of a huge crane at a junction during the rally, apparently by his fans.
While his adversaries might dismiss his support to the VSP agitation as a ‘political stunt’ to gain the support of the people of Gajuwaka Assembly constituency, who had defeated him in the last general elections, he made no bones of his intention to stand by them in their hour of crisis. “Had you elected me or at least given our party some seats in Parliament, I would have had the strength to take up your cause. However, I am not here to run away from the problem and I will stand by you if all of you promise to give me the required strength till the end,” he said.
It is often said that Mr. Pawan Kalyan is a voracious reader, but his knowledge about the VSP, is not something that all politicians, especially those from outside Vizag, can claim to possess. He recalled that Vizag was identified as the best place in the country when the then Industries Minister had proposed setting up of a steel plant.
When the then Union government had decided to change the proposal and set up the plant in another State, people of Andhra Pradesh raised in revolt against the Centre. He called for another revolt on those lines to fight against the privatisation of the VSP.
