TDP Vows to Resist RINL Privatisation, Demands Jobs for Displaced Families

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) renewed its strength against the privatisation of the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited-Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL-VSP) an indicating that party leaders will resist any such move laid down in 2025.

On Saturday, August 30, TDP leader and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao told reporters the party intends to continue the struggle as it did in 1998 to ensure the strategic steel plant does not get privatised. “The TDP stood against privatisation in 1998. In 2025, too, we will not allow it. The plant’s survival and growth are non-negotiable,” he said.

Rao stressed that the rights of displaced persons (DPs) and local workers must be safeguarded. He demanded that at least 50% of jobs be reserved for displaced families and R-Card holders, many of whom have worked for decades as contract employees. Issuing a warning to contractors, he added: “The single-window contractor system may improve efficiency, but it cannot be an excuse to displace long-serving employees. Retention of locals is mandatory.”

The MLA credited Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for his role in protecting the enterprise during past privatisation pressures. He recalled how irregularities once plagued the steel plant, alleging that nearly 2,000 fictitious workers were on the rolls due to collusion between contractors, officials, and some union leaders. “These frauds were exposed only after the biometric system was implemented. The coalition government moved swiftly to eliminate bogus entries,” Rao said.

On restructuring, Rao clarified that the number of contractors, which once stood near 1,000, was being rationalised to 42—one per department—to cut financial burden. “This streamlining is being misrepresented as privatisation, but the intent is to strengthen the plant, not weaken it,” he said.

Reiterating the party’s stance, Rao described RINL as more than just an industrial unit. “It is an economic lifeline and an emotional anchor for the people of Visakhapatnam. Its future is tied to generations to come. The TDP will stand by the plant and its workers at all costs,” he affirmed.