Former U'khand CM Harish Rawat stages dharna against THDC privatisation

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat staged a dharna at the entrance of THDC India Limited in Rishikesh on Thursday to protest against proposed privatisation of the public sector undertaking, saying the move will hurt the interests of the state.

"The Modi government is selling off PSUs which are the backbone of our economy. Unfortunately, the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) is one of them," Rawat told reporters.

"The THDC is linked with our prestige. People of the state made big sacrifices for it. They sacrificed their homes, their culture and their milieu for it. Giving it into the hands of capitalists runs counter to Uttarakhand's interests," he said.

The former chief minister said he has chosen Pandit Nehru's birth anniversary for the dharna as Nehru was the maker of modern India and laying a network of PSUs in the country was his idea.

Opposing the move strongly, Rawat said the party will fight against the Centre's decision with all its might.

Several programmes, including a march to Tehri in December, are being worked out by the party to protest against the Centre's decision, he said.

Former PCC president Kishore Upadhyay has been assigned the task of coordinating the programmes, Rawat added.