India

Kerala CM Satheesan Faces Opposition Demand to Release Power Deal Documents

By The Hindu Bureau

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has again urged Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to disclose all documents related to his decision to procure electricity from GNA Energy OTC instead of a Himachal Pradesh government offer. Satheesan maintains that the choice was made after a careful review of both proposals. He cited a note from former KSEB Chairman and Managing Director M.G. Rajamanickam, which stated that the GNA proposal could also be considered, and questioned whether Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan was aware of this note or was pretending to be ignorant.

Earlier on Saturday, Vijayan accused the CM of evading charges and deepening confusion over the power purchase proposals. He noted that Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph had expressed support for the Himachal Pradesh offer after official discussions and asked on what legal basis the CM chose GNA Energy. Vijayan also questioned why the CM had not made public the files, the letter from KSEB to the government, and Cabinet notes on the decision.

In a strong statement a few hours later, Satheesan said the decision was based on a thorough study of the file and that the UDF government does not sign on any “tissue paper” presented to it. He challenged Vijayan by asking if, when Vijayan was CM, he ever provided the Opposition with the documents it requested. He added that the CPI(M) union in KSEB had already given Vijayan all the files and that any further requests could be made through institutional channels.

On Friday, the CM had dismissed the Opposition’s charges as baseless and reiterated that the GNA offer was favourable in terms of per‑unit price and peak‑hour needs. He also refuted Vijayan’s claim that the UDF government was creating an “artificial power crisis” to benefit corporate power‑sector monopolies. Satheesan quoted an October 26 letter from Rajamanickam, which warned that an immediate decision was imperative because the proposal had been under consideration for more than two weeks. The letter highlighted that Kerala’s existing power shortage, combined with low rainfall, reduced hydro availability and El Niño conditions, left little room to absorb further supply uncertainty. It warned that without a firm replacement, KSEB might have to impose prolonged power cuts, including during the critical summer months, and that further delay would directly risk continuity of electricity supply across the state.