Thiruvananthapuram
With only a couple of days left for polling, the UDF has made a sensational claim that puts both the ruling LDF and the BJP on the defensive, further strengthening its allegation of secret understanding between the CPI-M and the BJP.
The claim is the Centre and the state government have colluded to bring undue benefits to the Adani group in the purchase of power generated from windmills under a long-term deal lasting 25 years.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged large-scale large scale corruption in the deal, under which power purchase has been contracted at Rs2.81 a unit while it was available at a much cheaper rate.
Chennithala claimed the deal for Rs8,850 crore was to help the Adani group at the cost of the people of the state.
There have been charges of preferential deal with the Adani group, despite the state government’s apparent challenge against the handing over of the management of the Thiruvananthapuram airport to the group.
The task of preparing the state government’s bid for the airport in the tender was itself given to an Adani company. KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran asked CM Pinarayi Vijayan to clarify whether anybody from the Adani family had met him while he was in his native place Kannur.
Congress alleges the deals with Adani group are a quid pro quo for settling the gold smuggling case, in which the chief minister’s office is believed to have a role.
The CM, however, denied the allegation and cited this as another opposition ‘bomb’ that has failed to explode. He claimed that the deal with the Adani group was in the wake of the instruction by the central regulatory commission that a certain percentage of the power has to be sourced in the form of renewable energy.
Electricity minister M M Mani argued that the state electricity board had only entered into a deal with the Solar Energy Corporation under the central government.