Jairam Ramesh said, “the tempo of decisions in BJP-ruled States aimed at enriching the Prime Minister’s close friends is picking up”
The Congress on Monday (September 23, 2024) alleged that two large electricity tenders in Rajasthan and Maharashtra have been designed entirely to reduce the number of bidders and to “funnel” taxpayer money to the Adani Group.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said, “the tempo of decisions in BJP-ruled States aimed at enriching the Prime Minister’s close friends is picking up”.
“Two large electricity tenders in Rajasthan and Maharashtra have been designed entirely to reduce the number of bidders and to funnel yet more taxpayer revenues to Modani,” Mr. Ramesh said in a post on X.
The Congress leader pointed out that both the State governments have issued tenders for the combined procuring of power across thermal and solar power sources. This joined-up procurement advantages the tiny number of large players like the Adani group, who operate across both sectors, whereas splitting the procurement into two tenders would have enabled smaller players, particularly in the renewable energy sector, to compete, Mr. Ramesh added.
“These tenders tie in perfectly with Modani’s planned investments. In Rajasthan, the tender specifies that the solar power must be procured from within the State and Modani already plans to build a solar plant in Rajasthan. In Maharashtra, the tender allows the power to be procured from anywhere nationally, aligning neatly with planned investments by Modani in other States,” the Congress leader alleged.
The consequences continue to be disastrous and it will stifle competition in a key industry, increase oligopolisation, and decrease the potential for lower prices in the long-term, Mr. Ramesh claimed.
“As always, the PM’s friends will profit at the expense of consumers and taxpayers. And this is the kind of cronyism that the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has chosen to pursue in its final days before it is booted out of power,” the Congress leader alleged.
Published - September 23, 2024 04:17 pm IST
