Govt stalling energy projects to favour private sector: BJP

BJP state general secretary Shobha Karandlaje on Tuesday charged the Congress government with deliberately trying to stall state energy projects to pave way for purchase of power from the private sector at high rates.

Addressing a press conference with party state president B S Yeddyurappa and other leaders, Karandlaje accused the government of stalling completion of projects like the second unit of Yermarus Thermal Power Station and the third unit of Ballari Thermal Power Station despite availability of sufficient coal links.

A House committee, headed by Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, is readying a report, which purportedly has details about a scam during the BJP regime that cost the state exchequer Rs 28,000 crore. Karandlaje held the Energy portfolio in the BJP government.

Karandlaje said that during her tenure as energy minister, she had cancelled a long-term power purchase agreement with Jindal as the company used imported coal for power production. “Use of imported coal results in upward revision of rates every year which would have resulted in the government buying power at high rates,” she said and added that her move had resulted in savings to the state exchequer.

The present government had violated rules by purchasing thousands of tonnes of coal from a private company without even calling for tenders, she charged.

Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of an event in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah wondered why Karandlaje was so jittery about the House committee report, when it had not even been tabled.

Yeddyurappa said Siddaramaiah’s comment that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was afraid of him (Siddaramaiah) could be termed as the “joke of the year”. He said Siddaramaiah had hurt the sentiments of lakhs of devotees by stating that there is no bar on entering the Manjunatha temple in Darmasthala after eating non-vegetarian food. “(PM) Modi was fasting when he entered the temple on Sunday. That makes him a true leader of the people,” Yeddyurappa said.

Later in the day, BJP leaders visited Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, the venue of the launch of the party’s Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivarthana Yatra. The yatra will be launched by party national president Amit Shah on Thursday.