Thiruvananthapuram | The Keralam government's move to procure electricity from a private platform, followed by its reported decision to abandon the plan, has drawn sharp criticism from the CPI(M), which on Tuesday accused Chief Minister V D Satheesan of keeping the electricity minister in the dark and demanded a judicial probe into what it termed as "blatant corruption".
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement, claimed that the recent power crisis in the state was created "artificially" by the UDF government to purchase power from a private entity at huge rates, the burden of which consumers will have to bear.
"All the usual process was avoided, and KSEB as well as the concerned minister were sidelined to take the decision to buy power from GNA platform," he claimed.
He further claimed the government later decided against purchasing power from the private platform GNA due to serious questions raised by the opposition regarding irregularities in the power deal and the potential for financial losses to the exchequer.
The veteran CPI(M) leader also claimed that the state Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph appeared to be in the dark about all these developments.
Vijayan was referring to Joseph's remarks that he came to know about his government's latest decision not to purchase power from a private entity via news reports.
The minister had told reporters on Monday that he came to know through news reports that the CM spoke with the Power Secretary and the chairman of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) regarding the purchase of electricity.
"The CM is above the ministers. He can intervene, as required, in any department," he said, but added that final decisions are taken by the cabinet.
The minister said that he too has spoken to the CM several times.
He also said that the state was able to hold on in October thanks to the power supplied by the Himachal Pradesh government.
Joseph further said that procuring power from Himachal Pradesh for the period from November 2026 to May 2027 would have benefited Keralam.
His remarks came in response to reporters' queries regarding the government's reported decision not to purchase power from the GNA, a private platform, as was decided earlier.
Vijayan, in his statement, contended that the government is trying to justify its decision not to purchase power from GNA by claiming that there will be no electricity crisis in the state in November and December.
"The CM led the move to impose a huge financial burden on the people in the name of a non-existent crisis. A contract was sought to be awarded to a private entity despite objections of the KSEB and without following the due procedure. It was blatant corruption. There should be a judicial inquiry into it by a High Court judge," the opposition leader contended.
Even the electricity minister was being kept in the dark, Vijayan alleged and questioned who the real beneficiaries were of the alleged "artificial power crisis" created in the state to pave the way for "massive corruption".
Earlier in the day, senior CPI(M) leader and former minister P Rajeev questioned why the CM decided to purchase power from GNA when, according to the KSEB, there was no immediate electricity crisis in Keralam.
Rajeev also claimed that even if there was a crisis, then Himachal Pradesh ought to have been opted for, as that was the choice of the KSEB also.
The CPI(M) leader said that if the decision to purchase power was taken based on a letter by the former KSEB chairman, then all the documents related to it should be disclosed.
He also contended that the electricity minister's remarks regarding the CM's intervention have "exposed" the UDF government in such a short time after coming to power.
