TN Electricity Minister denies commercial ties with Adani conglomerate
This is the first reaction of the DMK government following the indictment of the Adani conglomerate in a US court.
Even as the Adani row has cast its long shadow over the winter session of Parliament, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling DMK president MK Stalin has said his government has nothing to do with the indictment relating to bribery charges against the conglomerate in a US court.
“The minister concerned for the Department (Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji) has made it clear and put the record straight,” he told reporters after inspecting a school in his constituency Kolathur on Monday (Nov 25) along with Chennai City Mayor Priya among others.
To a question about his reported secret meeting with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani as claimed by Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S Ramadoss, a visibly annoyed Chief Minister said “He has no work and hence is issuing a statement every day against the government.”
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Earlier, Senthil Balaji had denied any illegality in the state-owned power utility, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), entering into an agreement with Solar Energy Council of India (SECI) an arm of the Union Energy Ministry for the purchase of 1500 MW at the rate of Rs 2.61 per unit over a period of 25 years. “It is very cheap. Compare it with the previous AIADMK government purchasing solar power at an exorbitant rate of Rs 7.01 per unit. “It was the SECI which purchases power from private solar power producers. We have entered into a contract only with the SECI,” was his clarification.
However, a day after his clarification, Ramadoss, in a statement, demanded that the DMK government explain what had transpired at the secret meeting Gautam Adani had with Stalin at the latter’s residence in Chennai on July 10, last year. He also pressed for a probe into the role of TNEB in the Adni row since the name of the state-owned power utility had also figured in the list of those who had been paid bribes.
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