Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan — to see joy in whose eyes did they let “that laddu” slip away like that? Since they got the power they wanted, did they think it does not matter even if a burden of ₹1 lakh crore falls on the people of the state… or are there other reasons behind this?. They had stated that due to the agreements signed with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) during the YSRCP regime, a massive burden of ₹1 lakh crore would fall on the people of the state over the next 25 years. Chandrababu Naidu himself explained this issue to the people of the state through a PowerPoint presentation. He did this not only before coming to power but even after assuming office. Exactly a year ago, on January 1, 2025, while speaking to the media at the TDP office in Mangalagiri, Chief Minister Chandrababu commented that Jagan was “caught like a laddu” in the SECI irregularities. He said that a deep investigation into the matter was underway.
It has been over a year since those statements were made, but Chandrababu and Pawan Kalyan have done zero against Jagan, whom they said was caught like a laddu in the SECI issue. At the same time, Power Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar stated that if the agreement signed with SECI was cancelled, a burden of ₹3,000 crore would fall on the government. This means that even if a burden of ₹1 lakh crore falls on the people over the next 20 to 25 years, it is acceptable — but they cannot pay ₹3,000 crore now. With this, the SECI agreement is continuing smoothly even during Chandrababu’s tenure. When the TDP was in the opposition, the current Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav not only filed a case in court on this issue but also alleged before the media that Jagan Mohan Reddy was looting the state’s wealth for his own benefit. But now, from Chandrababu to Pawan Kalyan and Payyavula Keshav, all are silent.
The most crucial point here is that Chandrababu Naidu himself said Jagan was caught like a laddu in the SECI agreement, yet he completely let the issue go. In neighboring Tamil Nadu, agreements with Adani companies were cancelled, stating that an undue burden would fall on the people of the state. But in Andhra Pradesh, despite alleging that this was a massive scam and that it would impose a ₹1 lakh crore burden on the people, they let it go. Comments are being heard that one can understand how much “golmaal” has happened behind this. When the TDP was in the opposition, it made several criticisms about the SECI agreement.
At that time, the current Chief Secretary Vijayanand, who was in a key position in the power department, declared that this was a historic agreement and that Jagan had signed it for the sake of farmers. After coming to power, the TDP not only appointed him as Chief Secretary but also entrusted him with the crucial power department to run it. Official sources say that Vijayanand, who is set to retire on February 28, will once again be given key responsibilities. Whether it is the Sakshi Media issue or the SECI agreement issue, Chandrababu, Pawan Kalyan and Co. are acting as though they will not go after Jagan. When the TDP made allegations regarding SECI, they claimed that the agreements were signed at the lowest price in the country. Now, however, the Andhra Pradesh government is functioning as if it does not even remember that there is an SECI agreement at all.