Adani row: Jagan's party leader says defector signed SECI papers
A YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, has accused former Andhra Pradesh power minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy of signing important documents of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) contracts. The accusation comes after Balineni's recent remarks against former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. Chevireddy said Balineni's remarks appeared to be aimed at pleasing others and confirmed that Balineni signed the SECI agreement papers.
Cabinet reviewed SECI proposal post Balineni's approval
Chevireddy said important documents related to the electricity contract under scanner were sent to the Andhra Pradesh cabinet only after Balineni's signature. He denied Balineni's statement of not being involved in the SECI agreement, stressing that Balineni signed important documents, including the energy committee file. On September 15, 2021, Andhra Pradesh received a letter from SECI, which was detailed to the cabinet by officials.
Expert committee studied SECI proposal post Balineni's approval
The SECI proposal was sent for cabinet review after Balineni's approval. An expert committee examined the proposal and submitted a report in a month, after which the cabinet finalized the agreement with SECI. Notably, Balineni, who quit YSRCP on September 18 and joined Jana Sena Party, had accused Jagan Reddy of wrongdoing in connection with bribery allegations involving a power purchase agreement with SECI and Adani Group stakes.
YSRCP defends power purchase decision, counters Balineni's claims
YSRCP defended its decision to buy 7,000 MW of power from SECI at ₹1.05 lakh crore over 25 years. But Balineni claimed on a Telugu news channel the deal was pushed through without proper procedures. As energy minister then, he alleged he refused to sign due to suspicions but was bypassed by the cabinet. Chavireddy countered these claims by stating: "The cabinet agreed in principle on the SECI proposal and Balineni had signed that file."
Energy Secretary justified agreement as competitive
In November 2021, Energy Secretary N Srikanth had justified the deal as competitive against other solar bids in Andhra Pradesh. Chavireddy had argued: "While Chandrababu (Naidu) made the power purchase agreement at ₹4.5 per unit, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's government brought it down to ₹2.45." He had emphasized this reduction aimed at providing quality power at lower costs and increasing state revenue.
