Bhubaneswar: The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has issued a clarification amid allegations that the Adani Group bribed some government officials in Odisha and a few other states to get favourable terms for solar power contracts.

The Adani Group had reportedly signed an agreement with Odisha in 2021 for the supply of 500 MW solar power to the state.

The BJD, which governed Odisha from 2000 to 2024, claimed that power purchase agreement was signed between Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a Central PSU under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and state govt PSU Gridco under a Central government scheme called Manufacturing Linked Solar Scheme.

The agreement was signed between two government entities for the procurement of 500 MW solar power from the SECI. There was no engagement with any private party, including the Adani Group, said the BJD in a statement today.

“To fulfill the renewable energy commitments, Odisha has been procuring renewable energy from central government PSUs including SECI and NTPC since 2011,” claimed the regional party while rejecting all allegations of bribery with regard to the solar power agreement with Odisha.

Notably, it has been alleged that Gautam Adani-led Adani Group had provided Rs 2,200 crore ($265 million) as bribes to some senior government officials in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu and a few other states in exchange of favourable terms for solar power contracts.