Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 7 (IANS) The war of words between Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and his predecessor Pinarayi Vijayan over the KSEB power purchase deal continued for the second day on Saturday, with Satheesan challenging the Opposition leader to produce documents to substantiate his claim that Himachal Pradesh had offered electricity at Rs 12.50 per unit.
Satheesan said Vijayan earlier in the day had repeated the same allegations despite the detailed explanation given by him on Friday.
He also questioned why the Leader of the Opposition had not produced any documentary evidence to support the alleged offer from Himachal Pradesh.
Satheesan said Rajasthan had decided to purchase electricity from Himachal Pradesh on October 18, while proposals relating to the agreement were placed before the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission on October 28.
The file containing the KSEB recommendation reached him for a final decision only on October 30, he said.
Vijayan had questioned why Kerala did not purchase power from Himachal Pradesh despite the KSEB finding it a good option.
He had also alleged that the power crisis in Kerala was artificially created, Satheesan said, describing the two positions as contradictory.
The Chief Minister said it was the KSEB itself that had informed the government about the power shortage, and that he had already cited official records to establish this.
On the criticism over the use of the Green Energy Open Access (GNA) platform for power purchases, Satheesan said a note submitted by the former KSEB chairman to the government had also suggested considering the option.
He asked whether Vijayan was unaware of the note or was deliberately ignoring it.
Satheesan also welcomed Vijayan’s admission that the GNA platform had been used during the previous government’s tenure.
Responding to Vijayan’s repeated demand for documents, Satheesan said all relevant records from the CPI (M) affiliated organisation in the KSEB had already been handed over to the Opposition leader.
Any additional documents could be obtained through established procedures, he said.
Taking a swipe at his predecessor, Satheesan asked whether Vijayan, during his tenure as Chief Minister, had provided documents sought by the then Opposition.
Satheesan said decisions were taken after examining files and studying the details, adding that his government did not sign documents without proper scrutiny.
–IANS
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