BJD, DMK Reject US Charge
BJD’s Pratap Keshari Deb termed the allegations ‘baseless and incorrect’.
New Delhi:
Responding to allegations that Odisha government officials took bribes for a power purchase agreement in 2021, when it was in power in the state, the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal has said the deal was between two government entities and no private parties, including the Adani Group, were involved.
A similar statement has also been made by the DMK, which is in power in Tamil Nadu.
“This power purchase agreement made in 2021 was between two government agencies – a central government public sector undertaking (PSU) which is a mini navratna of the Government of India Solar Energy Corporation of India (under the Union Ministry of Renewable Energy) and a state govt PSU Gridco – solely for the purpose of supply of renewable energy. This is part of a central government scheme called the manufacturing linked solar scheme,” Pratap Keshari Deb, Odisha’s former energy minister and the deputy chief whip of the BJD in the state Assembly, said in a statement.
Mr Deb said that the agreement was to procure 500 MW of renewable energy from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) at the lowest rates discovered by the PSU. “There was no engagement with any private party whatsoever, including the Adani Group,” he said.
Highlighting that the state has been procuring renewable energy from central government PSUs like SECI and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) since 2011, the party said that the allegations were “baseless and incorrect”.
Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji said the state has an understanding to buy power only from a firm owned by the Union government.
“I would like to first clarify that as regards TN Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), there has been no kind of commercial relationship with Mr Adani’s company during the past three years (after the DMK formed the government in May 2021),” Mr Balaji said.
The minister said Tamil Nadu inked a pact for procurement of 1,500MW with SECI, adding “there is no direct contact with Mr Adani’s firm”.
The Adani Group has firmly denied a US government department report alleging bribery for power contracts.
“All possible legal recourse will be sought. The Adani Group has always upheld and is steadfastly committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance, transparency and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions of its operations. We assure our stakeholders, partners and employees that we are a law-abiding organisation, fully compliant with all laws,” the Group said in a statement.
(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)
