"No interaction with Adani in Odisha, assertions are false," the BJD says following the BJP's assault over Gautam Adani's alleged bribery.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) clarified power purchase agreements in Odisha on Friday and categorically refuted claims that state government representatives accepted bribes from the Adani company in exchange for the state's renewable energy supplies from the central pool.

The clarification came after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the BJD, which ruled Odisha from 2000 to June 2024, over 'bribe' allegations against Gautam Adani.

According to the BJD's written explanation, the Adani group was not involved in the power purchase agreement that was reached three years ago; rather, it was between two government agencies. For the express aim of providing renewable energy, an agreement was reached with a state government PSU Gridco and a central government PSU under the Union Ministry of Renewable Energy.

The deal, which was between two government agencies, called for purchasing 500MW of renewable energy from SECI at the lowest prices that SECI could find. Deputy Chief Whip Pratap Keshari Deb claimed in a press release that there was no interaction with any private entity, including the Adani group.

It went on to say, "The state has actually been acquiring renewable energy from central government PSUs like SECI and NTPC since 2011 in order to meet the renewable energy commitments."

The Biju Janata Dal confirmed that only government organizations SECI and Gridco were involved in the 2021 power purchase agreement in Odisha, dismissing media claims as "baseless and incorrect."

This comes a day after the BJP claimed that the US indictment cited the Opposition's authority over the states that allegedly accepted bribes from the Adani business for solar power sales. At a press conference on Thursday, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra took aim at Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

"There was not a BJP chief minister in any of the four states listed in the US allegations against the Adani group. Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh were ruled by the Congress and its supporters, according to Sambit Patra, who was cited by India Today.

After the Congress MP claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working hand in hand with Gautam Adani on corrupt activities, Sambit Patra accused the Rae Bareli MP of trying to damage Modi's reputation.