Media is a part of the society and it has to fight for the cause of upholding the rights of common people, said National Media Adviser to the State government Devulapalli Amar.

He was speaking at a meeting organised by the AP Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) in association with Media Education Foundation at Andhra University here on Monday. Mr. Amar said that saving the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) from privatisation was important and if the media does not play an active role, the Central government would have its way, with little opposition from the public.

He recalled how as a high school student, he heard about the agitation for VSP and the death of 32 persons in it. The lack of response from civil society was emboldening the Centre to disregard dissenting voices, he said.

Mr. Amar recalled that during the tenure of Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee as Prime Minister, a separate Ministry for Disinvestment was established and it was headed by Mr. Arun Shourie. Mr. Vajpayee had, however, gone slow on disinvestment as he seemed to have some concern for the people unlike the present government, Mr. Amar said. The Chief Minister wrote twice to the Prime Minister seeking the continuation of VSP in the public sector and had even suggested alternatives, Mr. Amar said.

Only a strong public opinion against privatisation could save VSP, he said. He recalled that he had spent over four decades in the private sector and had faced issues like lack of job security and other ills, which were common in the private sector.

Visakha Ukku Porata Committee convener Ayodhya Ram recalled as to how former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had to bow to public pressure and had finally laid the foundation for the plant in Visakhapatnam.

He said that the agitation would be intensified further with the involvement of all political parties, except BJP, in the State. He said that the plant had secured ₹212 crore as net profit despite the COVID-19 situation.

Indian Journalists’ Union executive member Alapati Suresh said that lack of civil society response to issue concerning the State was emboldening the Centre to have their way in the State.

INTUC leader Gandham Venkata Rao said that unlike private companies which were defaulting repayment of loans to public sector banks, the VSP had paid taxes and dividends to the Centre.

APUWJ State president I.V. Subba Rao presided.

CPI State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, a former member of the UPSC K.S. Chalam and

IJU representative Nalli Dharma Rao were among those who spoke.