Vijayawada: A roundtable of political parties and intellectuals on Friday resolved to intensify the agitation against privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), warning of a statewide bandh if the Centre and the state governments push ahead with the move. The meeting, held at Makineni Basavapunnayya Bhavan here and chaired by Visakha Steel Protection Struggle Committee chairman Ch Narasingha Rao, announced a mass campaign titled ‘Visakha Steel Shankharavam.’

As part of the action plan, a broader roundtable of people’s organisations will be organised in Vijayawada on September 30. The leaders also said the steel issue would be raised in the Assembly session beginning September 18, and programmes will include a dharna at Dharna Chowk, Visakha Steel protection conferences across districts, a bus yatra from Ichchapuram to Hindupuram, a one-crore signature campaign, and mobilisation of employees, workers, teachers, students, women, farmers, and tenant associations.

Leaders from the Congress, YSRCP, CPI, CPM, CPI(ML) New Democracy, SUCI, Andhra Pradesh Intellectuals Forum and the Visakha Steel Struggle Committee took part.

APCC Chief Y Sharmila Reddy questioned Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s silence on the issue despite his past criticism, and extended Congress party’s support. YSRCP leader Botcha Satyanarayana said his party would demand discussion on allotment of captive mines and the recent transfer of mines to private companies.

Left party leaders V Srinivasa Rao (CPM), K Ramakrishna (CPI), P Prasad (CPI-ML New Democracy) and Suresh (SUCI) vowed to carry forward the agitation, condemning division of the plant into 34 departments, outsourcing to private contractors, and demolition of the relay hunger strike camp. They also demanded the reinstatement of 5,000 contract workers.

Narasingha Rao announced that the struggle committee will finalise a detailed programme of action on September 15.

Other participants included Andhra Pradesh Intellectuals Forum convener Chalasani Srinivasa Rao, struggle committee chairman D Adinarayana, Mantri Rajasekhar, YSRCP leader P Gautham Reddy and several others.