Former Minister Senthil Balaji responds to allegations over transformer procurement for the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, says no loss was caused to the government and alleges political motives behind the court-ordered CBI probe.
Coimbatore: Former Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji on Wednesday issued a detailed response to allegations surrounding the procurement of transformers for the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), insisting that no irregularities had taken place and that the State government had not incurred any financial loss.
His statement came after the Madras High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the alleged transformer procurement scam based on a complaint filed by an organisation.
Addressing the media, Balaji said the procurement process followed was standard procedure and had been in practice for several decades. According to him, the same method of purchasing transformers had been followed by successive governments since 1987.
He explained that tenders for transformer procurement were open to multiple participants and that several bidders had taken part in the process. He further noted that in some cases, a few bidders had quoted identical prices, which he said was not unusual in competitive tendering.
Balaji also clarified that no single individual had the authority to finalise the tender. He said the decision-making process involved three separate committees, which scrutinised and approved the bids before awarding contracts.
Rejecting the allegations of wrongdoing, he said there had been no malpractice of any kind in the purchase of transformers. He strongly maintained that the State had not suffered “even a single paisa” in loss due to the procurement.
On the court-ordered CBI probe, Balaji said he had not yet received the complete text of the order and would comment in detail only after examining it fully. He added that he would consult legal experts before deciding whether to challenge the order through an appeal.
He further alleged that the move to specifically examine procurement decisions taken in 2021 appeared politically motivated. According to him, if the same procurement procedure had been followed since 1987, focusing only on one particular period raised serious questions.
Balaji also referred to cases previously filed against former minister S. P. Velumani and questioned why those matters were not pursued with the same intensity.
Claiming that political opponents who were unable to defeat them electorally were resorting to legal routes, Balaji said such tactics had been witnessed before.
Turning to the political situation in Tamil Nadu, Balaji expressed confidence that Chief Minister M. K. Stalin would return to power for a second consecutive term. He said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was working hard to secure victory in all 10 Assembly constituencies in Coimbatore and 35 seats across the western region of the State.
He also said the party was optimistic about winning the Coimbatore South Assembly Constituency seat and added that preparations were underway to establish offices in 11 wards of the constituency.
Balaji concluded by saying that the election results would be favourable to his party.
His statement came after the Madras High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the alleged transformer procurement scam based on a complaint filed by an organisation.
Addressing the media, Balaji said the procurement process followed was standard procedure and had been in practice for several decades. According to him, the same method of purchasing transformers had been followed by successive governments since 1987.
He explained that tenders for transformer procurement were open to multiple participants and that several bidders had taken part in the process. He further noted that in some cases, a few bidders had quoted identical prices, which he said was not unusual in competitive tendering.
Balaji also clarified that no single individual had the authority to finalise the tender. He said the decision-making process involved three separate committees, which scrutinised and approved the bids before awarding contracts.
Rejecting the allegations of wrongdoing, he said there had been no malpractice of any kind in the purchase of transformers. He strongly maintained that the State had not suffered “even a single paisa” in loss due to the procurement.
On the court-ordered CBI probe, Balaji said he had not yet received the complete text of the order and would comment in detail only after examining it fully. He added that he would consult legal experts before deciding whether to challenge the order through an appeal.
He further alleged that the move to specifically examine procurement decisions taken in 2021 appeared politically motivated. According to him, if the same procurement procedure had been followed since 1987, focusing only on one particular period raised serious questions.
Balaji also referred to cases previously filed against former minister S. P. Velumani and questioned why those matters were not pursued with the same intensity.
Claiming that political opponents who were unable to defeat them electorally were resorting to legal routes, Balaji said such tactics had been witnessed before.
Turning to the political situation in Tamil Nadu, Balaji expressed confidence that Chief Minister M. K. Stalin would return to power for a second consecutive term. He said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was working hard to secure victory in all 10 Assembly constituencies in Coimbatore and 35 seats across the western region of the State.
He also said the party was optimistic about winning the Coimbatore South Assembly Constituency seat and added that preparations were underway to establish offices in 11 wards of the constituency.
Balaji concluded by saying that the election results would be favourable to his party.