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The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) on Tuesday strongly criticised Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh over his conduct during a visit to the families of victims who lost their lives in the recent Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) tragedy, alleging that his remarks reflected arrogance and insensitivity.
Addressing a press conference in Tadepalli, YSRCP spokesperson Vangaveeti Narendra accused Lokesh of displaying an attitude unbecoming of a public representative while interacting with trade union leaders and bereaved family members. According to Narendra, Lokesh's behaviour during the visit demonstrated the arrogance of power at a time when the affected families were coping with immense grief and loss. "He should have shown patience, humility and compassion. Instead, he responded to concerns raised by trade union leaders in a manner that was insensitive and inappropriate for the tragic circumstances," Narendra said. The YSRCP leader said that trade unions play a crucial role in voicing the concerns of workers and families affected by industrial accidents and should be treated with respect. He alleged that Lokesh's responses to their questions failed to reflect the seriousness of the situation. Narendra also targeted the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) over its handling of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant issue. He claimed that despite making several promises regarding the future of the steel plant ahead of the elections, the party had failed to fulfil any of them after coming to power. He further alleged that the process of piecemeal privatisation of the steel plant had continued and that the state government had not succeeded in securing meaningful support from the Centre for the public sector undertaking. Drawing a comparison with the response of the previous YSRCP government to the LG Polymers gas leak tragedy in 2020, Narendra said former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had immediately visited the site, met victims' families and announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore for each bereaved family within 24 hours. He also questioned the absence of the Industries Minister during the current crisis and alleged that the coalition government had failed to demonstrate empathy towards the affected families. The people are closely observing the actions of the government and will respond appropriately in the future, Narendra added. (ANI)
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