'We don't sign whatever tissue papers are placed before us': CM Satheesan hits back at Opposition Leader

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V D Satheesan has hit back at Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan over the controversy surrounding the power purchase agreement. Satheesan said the government took decisions only after examining the files and studying the details. "We don't sign whatever tissue papers are placed before us," he said in a Facebook post.

'Despite having given a detailed reply on the power purchase agreement on Friday, the Opposition leader is still repeating the same allegations. However, he has not answered my question about where the documents are to prove that Himachal Pradesh had offered to supply electricity at Rs 12.50 per unit. I hope he has now realised that Himachal Pradesh never made such an offer,' Satheesan wrote.

'Rajasthan had decided to purchase electricity from Himachal Pradesh on October 18. The proposed agreement was placed before the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission on October 28. The file seeking my final approval of the KSEB recommendation reached me only on October 30. The Opposition Leader continues to question why Kerala did not purchase electricity from Himachal Pradesh, which the KSEB had identified as a good option. At the same time, he alleges that the power crisis in the state was artificially created. What a contradiction!' Satheesan wrote.

He added that he had already responded with documentary evidence to show that the KSEB itself had informed the government about the power shortage. Satheesan said it was intriguing that the Opposition Leader continued to repeat the same allegation despite the documentary evidence.

The Chief Minister also pointed out that a note submitted to the government by the former KSEB chairman had suggested considering the purchase of electricity through the General Network Access (GNA) mechanism. Questioning Pinarayi Vijayan's criticism of power purchases through GNA, Satheesan asked whether the Opposition Leader was unaware of the note or was deliberately pretending not to know about it.

Satheesan also hit back at Pinarayi's repeated demand for documents. 'When you were the Chief Minister, did you provide even a single document sought by the then Opposition? You did not even answer our questions,' he wrote. He added that the CPM-affiliated organisation in the KSEB had already handed over all the relevant documents to the Opposition Leader. 'If you need any more documents, you can obtain them through the established procedures,' the CM said.