Refuting all allegations of bribery as “wild”, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday said he had dealt only with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a central government company and claimed that there was no question of the involvement of a third party, the Adani Group in the deal as charged by US prosecutors.

The US court’s indictment order on Gautam Adani mentioned a high-ranking official of Andhra Pradesh but did not name YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who held office as chief minister at that time.

The former chief minister claimed that the only reason he decided to go for the deal was because the SECI offered it at a cheap rate of Rs2.49 and also had offered to waive the interstate transmission charges.

“Out of the blue, I got a letter from the central government stating that they would supply power at Rs 2.49. SECI wrote to me and the rate was far less than what I got through tendering. They said they would give at the same lowest rate. That happened to be the cheapest power that AP government had ever procured. As a special incentive, they also waived the interstate transmission charges. What am I supposed to do with this letter…it translated to saving Rs 4400cr per annum,” claimed Reddy at a media conference at Tadepalli.

He also flatly denied that he had met Gautam Adani over this deal which was then finalised by his government. Apart from Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and other employees have been mentioned in the charges against them.

“I never dealt with them. Where did this originate from? Had SECI not written to me, had SECI not made the phenomenal offer of Rs2.49p, and along with that interstate transmission charge waived there would have been no deal… the signatories are the SECI, central government, and the DISCOMs. Where is the third party coming into the picture?” questioned Reddy while calling those who were linking him with the Adani bribery scandal as “fools”.

When asked specifically whether he had met Gautam Adani the YSRCP president it was not unusual for industrialists to meet chief ministers, particularly since he had ongoing projects in the state.“It is all hearsay and nobody has said I have taken or somebody has taken bribes,” said Reddy, as he blamed chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, TDP leaders as well as several media houses for spreading canard against him.

He declared that he would be sending defamation notices to several media houses, suing them for Rs 100 crores.