The Connection Between TDP Rule And Closure Of Jute, Sugar Mills  

Bobbili, Vizianagaram district: It is a well-known fact that as long as agriculture-dependent industries flourish, both sectors, that is agriculture as well as industry, prosper and fill the lives of workers and farmers with comfort and happiness. When these sectors take a hit, the lives of those dependent on them turn upside down. This fact was underscored by the tales of sorrow I heard from workers of sugar factories and jute mills today. My heart went out to them as they narrated their experiences. I was deeply pained by what they had to go through.

Workers of NFS Sugar factory, as also farmers met me. These farmers who did not get their dues and workers who are not being paid their salaries, had to undergo great suffering. “Factories which were under government control earlier were conveniently passed on to private entities for a song by Chandrababu Naidu, pledging the lives of workers, in the bargain. As a result our lives have been thrown into a state of turmoil,“ they lamented. They pointed out that the TDP leadership had sold them for its own selfish interests ruining the lives of workers.

SLS Jute Mills, whose workers were displaced on account of the closure of the factory three and a half years ago under Chandrababu Naidu's rule, had a sorrowful story to narrate. They told me how their lives had been completely destroyed after the factory, which had been running smoothly for decades, shut down suddenly.

About 35 workers, who took the sudden displacement to heart, died out of the resultant worry, heartache and illness. Many workers turned into daily wage labourers out of sheer compulsion and some of them were forced to migrate to other places in search of livelihood.

Ramakrishna, a worker, could not afford to pay the fees of his only son who was studying engineering. He committed suicide out of sheer desperation worried by the scary prospect of his son’s education getting aborted by poverty. Each individual I came across had a similar experience to share. When I heard the stories of suffering they had to narrate, my heart was filled with sorrow.

The strange connection between Chandrababu Naidu's rule and the shutting down of factories in the cooperative sector and government-run industries, does not appear to be random. It is a tragic coincidence which ruins the lives of workers and farmers each time Chandrababu comes to power.

Girl students from Pathapenta government school came and met me today in a large group. They told me that the 2 km long road to their school was muddy and pothole-ridden. When it rained, it becomes impossible to take a step forward and in such situations, they are forced to take a 5-km detour to go to school.

They said—“We do not have any faith in this government and don’t think that the situation here is going to change for us. Sir, when you come to power, please see that a proper road is laid for us to be able to go to school.” What should one say about this government which neglects the condition of these students and does not ensure such basic facilities? Sanitation workers of Bobbili Municipality met me today. Chinna Krishna, a worker, told me with great pride that even though he had to subsist with a small income, his three children became engineers, thanks to my father’s pioneering fee reimbursement scheme. They recalled with great happiness that the loans they had taken from the SC Corporation during my father’s time had been waived. However, they were deeply anxious about the prospect of sanitation work being handed over to private firms.

The TDP leadership is concerned only with the commissions it gets and is totally indifferent to the suffering of employees and the poor. My Padayatra for the day ended with a massive public meeting in Bobbili.

My poser to the Chief Minister—the lives of thousands of workers and farmers get completely displaced when a sugar factory shuts down. Are you not responsible for the lives of millions of families of farmers and workers getting destroyed by the closure of jute mills, sugar factories and dairies in the cooperative sector?

Also Read:4 Years Later, Hud Hud Victims Still Wait For Chandrababu’s Promised Compensation