Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Rourkela: Congress general secretary (Communication) Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday claimed public sector undertakings including the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) created by the previous Congress governments are in "danger" as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "busy in selling" these units.
Ramesh, who is accompanying party leader Rahul Gandhi in his 'Bharat Jodo Naya Yatra' that reached Rajgangpur in Odisha's Sundergarh district, said this at a press conference.
"Pandit Nehru created many public sectors in the country, but all of them are in danger today. PM Modi is busy selling these PSUs created by Congress, to his friends, but the Congress party will oppose it", he said.
Stating that Rourkela holds a special importance in the economic history of our country, Ramesh said the Congress government had set up major projects like RSP, Nalco, NTPC and other such projects in Odisha and all of them are "not safe" because of the BJP's policies.
"The country's big PSUs including Rail, SAIL, Port, Airports and others created by Congress are being sold today due to Modi's 'Mitra Niti' (friendship policy). Our priority is to create a new economic model for small industries by reforming GST, stopping blind privatisation, reviving PSUs and filling vacant government posts. This vision of Congress can generate employment in the entire country including Odisha", Ramesh said.
Ramesh claimed that 40 per cent youth are away from studies in Odisha while more than 1 lakh government posts are vacant.
He alleged that more than 30 lakh people from Odisha have migrated to other states in search of jobs while 30 billionaire industrialists have come from outside the state under the patronage of "Modi-Naveen Patnaik friendship".
The Congress leader also came down heavily on Odisha's ruling BJD and opposition BJP and alleged that they were engaged in "shadow boxing".
The regional party headed by Naveen Patnaik has been "supporting" all policies, bills and issues of BJP openly. "Even BJD MP friends privately say that they get direction from Bhubaneswar to support the BJP policies," Ramesh said describing BJD and BJP as two sides of the same coin.