The Telangana government has refused Rs 100 crore donation from the Adani Foundation for the Young India Skills University following the recent fraud charges brought by the US against the billionaire.

Denying any pressure from the Congress High Command, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said he decided to refuse the funds worth Rs 100 crore under corporate social responsibility because it would not be good for the state’s image when allegations of corruption surfaced against Adani Group in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

He also refuted the claim by BRS working president KT Rama Rao that the previous regime K Chandrasekhar Rao did not allow the Adani group to invest in Telangana with a series of media reports and photographs which proved the contrary.

“I don’t want to get into all these controversies. I did not take this money for my Congress party or my family from the Adani group. The Telangana government wanted to set up Young India Skills University for the lakhs of unemployed youths. I only wanted to teach my students some skills. Without any skills, they are not getting any employment.

“So we had taken a letter from Adani group for Rs100 crore in principle. To date, not a single penny has come to the Telangana government. There was some corruption in the neighbouring state or country and when there was a discussion on all this I did not like that Telangana was being talked about,” said the chief minister.

Reddy said, “Image was everything for a state. This will be bad for the image of the state and we are not ready for that.”

Defending Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Reddy said, “Modiji went out of the way to give away the Mumbai airport or other public sector units to Adani. Rahul Gandhi is against this. He wants a level playing field for everybody. Congress is not against Adani, Ambani, Tata or Birla or any other corporates… It is my responsibility to follow whatever my leader is saying.”

State industry secretary Jayesh Ranjan wrote a letter to Priti Adani, chairperson of Adani Foundation thanking her for committing the funds but turned it down. “We have so far not asked any of the donors for physical transfer of funds since the University had not received the IT exemption under section 80G. Though this exemption order has now come recently, I have been instructed by Hon’ble chief minister not to seek the transfer of funds in view of the present circumstances and arising controversies,” he said.

The chief minister also cited several projects by the Adani group which were approved by the previous BRS government including National Highway and power projects as well as drone and missile cell manufacturing units.