Vijayawada: CPI State Secretary K Ramakrishna has opposed the state government’s decision to transfer 10 government medical colleges to the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, labelling it a dangerous move towards the complete privatisation of the education and health sectors.

During a press conference held at Dasari Bhavan here on Wednesday, Ramakrishna accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of perpetually promoting privatisation since he took office 15 months ago.

He claimed that the government is methodically transferring all public sector enterprises into private ownership, mirroring the actions of the Narendra Modi-led Union government.

He expressed significant concern regarding the future of the medical colleges in Adoni, Madanapalle, Markapuram, Pulivendula, Penugonda, Palakollu, Amalapuram, Narsipatnam, Bapatla, and Parvathipuram, which are earmarked for privatisation. Ramakrishna further condemned the government’s initiatives in the tourism sector, which include the privatisation of 22 hotels, resorts, and properties valued at nearly Rs 10,000 crore. He said that over 1,300 employees in this sector are facing job insecurity, adding: “If everything is privatised, what is the purpose of having a Tourism Minister or a Tourism Corporation Chairman?” Referring to the recent transfer of the Vijayawada Governorpet RTC depot and RTC lands in Visakhapatnam to the Lulu Group, he asserted that the ruling government was “selling off public assets.” He expressed regret that the state’s esteemed legacy of government-run institutions such as Andhra University, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, and SVU has been eclipsed by private universities and corporate colleges like VIT, SRM, KLU, and Narayana-Chaitanya. Describing the initiative as “anti-people and anti-students,” Ramakrishna called upon all democratic forces, employees’ unions, and the public to come together and initiate a state-wide movement to safeguard government assets.

He also reiterated CPI’s opposition to the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, noting that trade unions are convening a roundtable on the issue.