STRUGGLE IN DEFENCE OF VISHAKHA STEEL PLANT
The decision of Central Government to privatise the Vishakha Steel Plant ( VSP ) has seriously disturbed the workers , employees , the vast masses of people who fought for it and who shed their sweat and blood for its development . Quite naturally , the workers , employees , students , youth , women , democratic forces and parties rose against the decision . All united in a common platform called “ Vishakha Steel Plant Protection Committee ” and began a united protest movement .
Seeing the mood of the people , the State Government headed by the YSRCP came out telling that it too is opposed to the privatization of VSP and it will strive to convince the Central Govt . to change its decision . But the Central Govt . took no time to announce that its decision is irreversible . In a reply to a question in Lok Sabha on March 8 th , 2021 , the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman made it clear that ‘ the govt . would go ahead with 100 % disinvestment of Vishakha Steel equity in RINL along with its stakes in subsidiaries / joint ventures through strategic disinvestment by way of privatization .’ At an another occasion , the representative of Central Govt . has bluntly said that the govt . will close down the VSP if no one comes forward to buy it . A news is in circulation that POSCO – a Multinational Steel Company based in South Korea is proposing to buy the VSP . Now the people are left with no other option but to wage an organized and united struggle in defense of the VSP .
The Indian ruling classes and their Govt . for over a period of time had been raising the populist slogans of different types to attract the people to their side . The slogans like ‘ Garibi Hatao ’, ‘ welfare schemes , reforms , socialist pattern
8 of society were only a part of them . On one side , they provided all support and avenues for the imperialists and Indian Comprador bourgeoisie to freely invest in India , loot and control the natural and human resources of our Country . On the other side , they were building up a few basic industries and infrastructure which require huge investments in the public sector and running them in a way to meet the needs of private sector . They were showing them as symbols of progressive and the policies of socialist pattern . Ever since the Indian ruling classes adopted the policies of Liberalization , privatization and globalization , these progressive masks were gradually put aside and countless steps were taken to more nakedly promote the private sector . The rulers have done everything to starve the public sector industries and use their losses and failures as a plea to push through the disinvestment and privatization . This process began in the period of Congress rule and gained speed and momentum in the time of BJP ’ s rule . The words like progressivism and development lost their meanings and acquired opposite meanings .
As far as the general mass of the people are concerned , they wished India to develop independent and in an all round manner . They wished that the natural and human resources abundantly available in our Country must be used for this kind of development and in the interests of people . The people wished that the disparities in the development of areas must be removed and the industries and projects must be built and run in the interests of our Country and people . They also wished that the development policy of rulers must not be aimed at or lead to develop some areas as islands of development and condemn vast areas to neglect , discrimination and backwardness . Struggle for Vishakha Steel Plant
The people of AP ( then , united ) had to wage a massive struggle during 1966 and 1971 for Vishakha Steel Plant .
The people had enthusiastically welcomed the statement of the then Union Finance Minister C . Subramaniam in 1963 that the Centre was contemplating to set up a steel plant in Vishakhapatnam , AP . On July 1 st , 1966 , the AP State Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution welcoming the VSP . But the Central Govt . had taken no concrete step towards the setting up of the Plant . This had agitated the people and political forces much and they moved into a massive protest action .
The protest was organized , militant and had drawn every section of people , democratic and political forces into a massive united action led by the all Party Joint Action Committee . It adopted different forms of struggle like hunger strike , meetings , rallies , rail roko , General Strike . The students of all universities and colleges in the state had thrown themselves in to the protest movement . Vishakha , Guntur , Krishna , Khammam , Warangal , Hyderabad and many other towns had become the centres of militant protest movement . The students of Medicine , Engineering and other technical courses were most active , stood in the forefront and lent a militant form to the protest movement . The Communists who were a powerful force in AP at the time – both inside the State Assembly and among the people – together with the
Class Struggle