New Delhi. The Congress on Tuesday said that Union Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy should clarify whether the Vizag Steel Plant and Salem Steel Plant will be privatised or not. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement, “The previous administration of one-third of the Prime Minister has proposed to sell Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, commonly known as “Vizag Steel Plant”, to the Prime Minister’s friends. More than one lakh people are dependent on the Vizag Steel Plant for their livelihood.”
He questioned whether Kumaraswamy would give a written commitment that he would not sell one-third of the Vizag steel plant to the Prime Minister’s industrialist friends? Ramesh claimed, “In 2019, the previous administration of the Prime Minister had decided to disinvest one-third in the Salem Steel Plant. Soon a massive rally of about 2000 people took to the streets to protest the privatisation of this particular steel unit. The workers alleged that the plant was being deliberately mismanaged. The Centre has been unable to sell the plant so far.” He questioned whether Kumaraswamy would go ahead with the privatisation of this plant?