Power crisis part of bid to privatise power sector, alleges Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has alleged that the ongoing power crisis in the State is being orchestrated to pave the way for privatisation of the electricity sector. Speaking after inaugurating a seminar on “Privatisation Policies of the Central-State Governments and the Power Crisis,” organised by the Kerala chapter of the Electricity Employees Federation of India, he said the country’s total power generation capacity is almost double its peak demand, yet crises are being manufactured to enable private players to reap “exorbitant” profits.
Allegations of an engineered crisis
Vijayan claimed that private monopolies already control about 60% of the country’s power generation and alleged that recurring shortages are part of a strategy to strengthen corporate control. In Kerala, he said, the government had sufficient indications of an impending crisis as early as the first week of June but “deliberately dragged its feet,” allowing the situation to worsen.
According to him, the political playbook behind the crisis in the State has a familiar pattern, particularly during United Democratic Front (UDF) tenures: crises are “engineered” to undermine public confidence in the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), after which private entities are projected as the solution. “The government is now looking to favour the corporates seeking to gain control of the power sector,” he alleged.
Regulatory setback and procurement lapses
Vijayan pointed to the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (KSERC) decision to cancel a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), asserting that the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy had failed to adhere to established norms. He said the responsibility for the current crisis “lay entirely with the UDF.”
He also criticised the State’s infrastructure preparedness, noting that construction of a planned battery energy storage project was progressing slowly even as, he alleged, moves were underway to open doors for large corporate groups, naming the Adani Group, to gain a foothold in the sector.
Concerns over nuclear policy and private entry
The Opposition leader said a recent statement by a UDF Minister on establishing a nuclear power plant in the State was linked to legislative changes at the national level that open the nuclear energy sector to private players. He contended that the recently passed SHANTI Act would “pave the way” for private-sector participation in nuclear energy.
Vijayan further argued that the privatisation agenda initiated during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) era was now being “aggressively” advanced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre, with the cumulative effect of eroding public-sector roles in critical infrastructure.
Political context and resistance in Kerala
Maintaining that privatisation cannot be easily implemented in Kerala, Vijayan recalled the strong resistance mounted during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s tenure. He characterised what he called a “blame game” by the Chief Minister and other Ministers over the power crisis as an attempt to mask “their own incompetence and interests.”
The seminar, which focused on the intersection of government policies and power sector disruptions, was presided over by former Power Minister A.K. Balan.
Significance
Vijayan’s remarks underscore intensifying political contention over the direction of Kerala’s power sector, with accusations of policy-driven crises, regulatory missteps and an orchestrated push towards privatisation. His assertions place renewed scrutiny on procurement decisions, project delays and the broader policy shift at the national level, setting the stage for a sharper debate on public versus private roles in critical energy infrastructure.
