New Delhi:

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has dismissed allegations of taking bribes in a solar power deal during his tenure as “hearsay”.

The allegations stem from an indictment by the US Department of Justice, which the Adani Group had said relied only on claims that bribes were discussed or promised, and it did not offer any evidence that Indian government officials received bribes from Adani Group executives.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV today, the chief of the YSR Congress Party said he has met multiple top business executives since he became Chief Minister in 2019 and Gautam Adani was one of them.

“My name is not mentioned anywhere. Whatever reports have come to the light, it’s all hearsay. And whatever I gathered, my name is not mentioned anywhere except for the fact that Gautam Adani met me and only after that this was consummated into a power sale agreement, is what I think is what is broadly captured,” Jagan Reddy said.

“What is wrong in it (meeting Mr Adani)? In fact, why only specify, why confine yourself only to our meeting in August (2021)? Since 2019, after I had been elected Chief Minister, I met multiple business people. I mean, that is one of the duties of the Chief Minister as the head of a state to meet business people and also address their issues,” he said.

“If somebody wants to come and invest in Andhra Pradesh, if they are not going to meet the chief minister and take comfort from the fact that the head of the state is proactive, nobody would come and invest. And that is why every state is competing and organising industrial summits,” Jagan Reddy told NDTV.

He said his meeting with Gautam Adani in August 2021 had nothing to do with a deal signed with Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI).

“In fact, from 2019 to the end of my tenure, I would have met Gautam Adani at least five, six times. I mean, why only specify your date only as August? After August also, I would have met him multiple times and before August also, I would have met multiple times and I would have met so many industrialists. This is, as I’ve said, this is the one of the duties of the chief minister,” Jagan Reddy said.

“See, basically, this (solar deal) has got nothing to do with Adani or anybody else, that’s one very important aspect that one should never forget,” he asserted.

The YSR Congress Party in a statement has said the allegations of bribery were made despite the fact that one, the tariff was lower than all the sources of power to Andhra Pradesh discoms (power distribution companies) till date and two, despite the offer also conveying the central government’s special incentive of waiver of inter-state transmission charges.

“The only way we could reduce cost (of power) and give it to farmers – Andhra Pradesh gives farmers free power – and it is not sustainable until and unless something drastic is done. So the only way something drastic could be done is to ensure that we bring in solar power at affordable, very, very cheap rates and we actually are in a position to give power to farmers. That was the vision with which we started off,” Jagan Reddy said.

He said when Andhra Pradesh floated the tender for 6,400 megawatt, the process got stuck in courts. Some 10 months later, Andhra Pradesh got an offer giving power at Rs 2.49 per unit, which was also the cheapest rate of power Andhra Pradesh has ever procured.

He said the state is grateful to central government for offering power at Rs 2.49 per unit, for coming to the rescue of the state.

“Then how can any state government set aside a letter like that? I mean if I were to set aside a letter like that you would immediately comment, you would immediately criticise me and say because it is the central government and you want to buy from private parties,” Jagan Reddy said.

“All we did was we responded positively to the offer made by the central government,” he added.

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)