Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader T Harish Rao asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to immediately intervene and halt the proposed privatisation and equity dilution of Telangana’s Transco, Genco and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi on Friday, Harish asked him to stop the proposed IPO and 26% equity dilution of Transco and prevent any IPO, privatisation or equity dilution in power utilities and agencies. The BRS deputy floor leader also asked him to direct Telangana govt to explain how such proposals align with the Congress manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and Raipur Resolution adopted in 2023.Harish said the issue was not merely a Telangana govt policy matter but also concerned the credibility and consistency of the Congress party’s national economic policy. He said Congress has historically opposed privatisation of strategic public-sector institutions and questioned how similar measures could be pursued by a Congress govt in Telangana.Expressing concern over reports of a proposed TG-Transco IPO and equity dilution, the former minister described the utility as the backbone of Telangana’s electricity transmission network. He said TG-Transco manages an extensive infrastructure network comprising substations, transmission lines and power transformers built over several decades with public investment.The BRS leader warned that if TG-Transco was opened to private ownership, similar steps could follow in TG-Genco, SCCL and discoms, affecting public control over critical infrastructure.Harish further stated that Rahul Gandhi’s credibility as Leader of the Opposition would be at stake if Congress opposed privatisation at the national level but remained silent when a Congress govt pursues similar policies in Telangana.Calling for immediate action, Harish said the proposed TG-Transco IPO should be withdrawn and no further steps should be taken towards privatisation or equity dilution of Telangana’s major public-sector undertakings. He also sought a clear and categorical response from Rahul Gandhi on the issue.
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