RINL staff stage dharna in Delhi; YSRCP MPs extend support

Visakhapatnam: YSR Congress Party MPs led by V Vijayasai Reddy and a team comprising former Minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy and Visakha parliamentary party in-charge Palla Srinivasa Rao from Telugu Desam Party took part in the dharna staged for first time at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday by Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Samiti demanding rollback of decision to privatise Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). The widely publicised protest in the National Capital Region saw some tense moments as employees of RINL, the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant were not allowed by the Delhi Police to check into their hotels booked a month ago on arrival by a train in the early hours. Mistaking them to be supporters of the farmers' agitation, they were asked to go back to Visakhapatnam.

"The police also told us that there is no permission to stage dharna at Jantar Mantar due to prohibitory orders and the ongoing Parliament session," samiti chairman J. Ayodharam told Bizz Buzz. On the intervention of Vijayasai Reddy, the police allowed them to take part in the protest from 11 am to 4 pm with the condition that not more than 200 people should assemble at Jantar Mantar. Earlier, the protesters had given a 'Delhi Chalo' programme and expected about 3,000 people to participate in it.

Speaking at the protest programme. Vijayasai Reddy said they would raise the privatisation issue in Parliament. TDP leader Srinivasa Rao, who sat on a fast-unto-death in Visakhapatnam to protest privatisation decision, said the steel plant was established in the city in 1970 after 32 protesters sacrificed their lives during the agitation spearheaded under the banner of 'Visakha Ukku Andhrula Hakku." Trade union leaders Mantri Rajasekhar Reddy (INTUC) and D. Adinarayana (AITUC) said they would organise a protest at AP Bhavan on Tuesday.