The leader of the YSR Congress Party claimed in an exclusive interview with NDTV that since taking office as chief minister in 2019, he has had meetings with several prominent business leaders.
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, has dismissed claims that he accepted payments in a solar power transaction while in office "hearsay."According to the Adani Group, the US Department of Justice's indictment, which is the source of the charges, simply stated that bribes were discussed or promised and provided no proof that Adani Group executives bribed Indian government officials.
The leader of the YSR Congress Party stated in an exclusive interview with NDTV today that since taking office as chief minister in 2019, he has had the opportunity to meet a number of prominent business leaders, including Gautam Adani.
"Nowhere is my name mentioned. It's simply hearsay, regardless of the reports that have surfaced. And based on what I've learned, my name isn't mentioned anywhere other than the fact that Gautam Adani met me and that this only resulted in a power selling agreement. That, in my opinion, sums up the situation," Jagan Reddy stated.
"Why is this meeting with Mr. Adani problematic? Actually, why limit yourself to our August 2021 meeting and why just specify? I've met a lot of businesspeople since 2019, when I was elected Chief Minister. Meeting with businesspeople and addressing their concerns is, after all, one of the responsibilities of the chief minister as head of state," he stated.
Nobody would come and invest in Andhra Pradesh if they were not going to meet the chief minister and find solace in the fact that the state's leader is taking initiative. And for that reason, each state is organizing industrial summits and competing," Jagan Reddy told NDTV.
He claimed that a contract he signed with Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) had nothing to do with his August 2021 meeting with Gautam Adani.
In actuality, I would have had at least five or six meetings with Gautam Adani between 2019 and the conclusion of my employment. I mean, why just choose August as your date? I would have had numerous encounters with him after August as well as with numerous industrialists prior to August. As I've stated, this is one of the chief minister's responsibilities," Jagan Reddy stated.
"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 said.
According to a statement from the YSR Congress Party, the accusations of bribery were made in spite of the fact that, first, the tariff was lower than that of all other power sources to Andhra Pradesh discoms (power distribution companies) to date, and second, the offer also included the special incentive of the central government to waive interstate transmission charges.
Andhra Pradesh provides farmers with free electricity, which is the only way we could lower the cost of power and provide it to them. However, this system is unsustainable unless extreme measures are taken. Therefore, the only way to make a significant change is to make sure that solar energy is brought in at really low prices so that farmers can actually get power. We began out with that vision," Jagan Reddy stated.
He claimed that when Andhra Pradesh issued a 6,400 megawatt tender, the legal proceedings stalled. A few months later, Andhra Pradesh received an offer offering power at ₹2.49 per unit, the lowest price the state had ever paid for electricity.
"So how is it possible for any state administration to disregard such a letter? Jagan Reddy stated, "I mean, if I were to set aside a letter like that, you would comment right away, criticize me right away, and say because it's the central government and you want to buy from private parties."
"All we did was we responded positively to the offer made by the central government," he stated.
"Nowhere is my name mentioned. It's simply hearsay, regardless of the reports that have surfaced. And based on what I've learned, my name isn't mentioned anywhere other than the fact that Gautam Adani met me and that this only resulted in a power selling agreement. That, in my opinion, sums up the situation," Jagan Reddy stated.
"Why is this meeting with Mr. Adani problematic? Actually, why limit yourself to our August 2021 meeting and why just specify? I've met a lot of businesspeople since 2019, when I was elected Chief Minister. Meeting with businesspeople and addressing their concerns is, after all, one of the responsibilities of the chief minister as head of state," he stated.
Nobody would come and invest in Andhra Pradesh if they were not going to meet the chief minister and find solace in the fact that the state's leader is taking initiative. And for that reason, each state is organizing industrial summits and competing," Jagan Reddy told NDTV.
He claimed that a contract he signed with Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) had nothing to do with his August 2021 meeting with Gautam Adani.
In actuality, I would have had at least five or six meetings with Gautam Adani between 2019 and the conclusion of my employment. I mean, why just choose August as your date? I would have had numerous encounters with him after August as well as with numerous industrialists prior to August. As I've stated, this is one of the chief minister's responsibilities," Jagan Reddy stated.
"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 said.
According to a statement from the YSR Congress Party, the accusations of bribery were made in spite of the fact that, first, the tariff was lower than that of all other power sources to Andhra Pradesh discoms (power distribution companies) to date, and second, the offer also included the special incentive of the central government to waive interstate transmission charges.
Andhra Pradesh provides farmers with free electricity, which is the only way we could lower the cost of power and provide it to them. However, this system is unsustainable unless extreme measures are taken. Therefore, the only way to make a significant change is to make sure that solar energy is brought in at really low prices so that farmers can actually get power. We began out with that vision," Jagan Reddy stated.
He claimed that when Andhra Pradesh issued a 6,400 megawatt tender, the legal proceedings stalled. A few months later, Andhra Pradesh received an offer offering power at ₹2.49 per unit, the lowest price the state had ever paid for electricity.
"So how is it possible for any state administration to disregard such a letter? Jagan Reddy stated, "I mean, if I were to set aside a letter like that, you would comment right away, criticize me right away, and say because it's the central government and you want to buy from private parties."
"All we did was we responded positively to the offer made by the central government," he stated.
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