Balineni signed SECI agreement, says Chevireddy

Ongole: YSRCP Ongole Parliament Constituency in-charge Dr Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy strongly refuted former minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy’s recent statements regarding the SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India) agreement. He said that Balineni had indeed signed the SECI Agreement papers.

During a press conference in Ongole on Sunday, Bhaskar Reddy presented a detailed timeline of events. He explained that after SECI’s initial letter was received, officials presented the details to the cabinet on September 15, 2021, which Balineni was part of. The proposal received in-principle approval, and Balineni’s signature appears on the relevant documents.

“Following the cabinet’s preliminary approval, the previous government formed an expert committee to examine the proposal,” Chevireddy said.

“The committee submitted its findings after a month, leading to the cabinet’s final approval for the SECI agreement, which also bears Balineni’s signature,” he added.

Chevireddy highlighted the financial benefits of the deal, noting that the previous government under Nara Chandrababu Naidu had agreed to purchase the power at a price of Rs 4.5 per unit. But the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration successfully negotiated it down to Rs 2.45 per unit, a 50 percent reduction, he said.

“This significant cost reduction ensures quality power at affordable rates while boosting state revenue,” he explained.

Taking a personal tone, Chevireddy criticized Balineni for speaking against the leadership that launched his political career. He said that if Balineni made these statements to curry favour with others, it’s unfortunate. He concluded by expressing confidence that the YSRCP president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy would emerge unscathed from what he termed as coordinated character assassination attempts.