India
'Unreasonable': Tamil Nadu's Vijay Govt Cancels High-Rate Power Tenders Amid Opposition Backlash
By: News18 India
Published: 28 October 2026
Photo / Illustration: Haldwani Times News Desk
<p>The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled short-term power procurement tenders after bidders quoted rates ranging from Rs 37 to Rs 41 per unit. Energy Minister Nirmal Kumar called the prices unreasonable, adding that the state has sufficient power for the next three months.</p>
<p>The move followed opposition criticism over the proposed high procurement rates, with Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Udhayanidhi Stalin arguing that consumers will ultimately bear the burden of higher costs through electricity bills.</p>
<p>Nirmal Kumar announced that the government would not purchase electricity at the rates quoted by the bidders, who had tabled their proposals after the tender was opened on Tuesday.</p>
<p>“We are not going to do any purchase of power for the quoted rates of Rs 37 to 41," he said.</p>
<p>The minister stressed that Tamil Nadu had sufficient power to manage its requirement for the next three months, adding that electricity was being procured in advance for the next summer.</p>
<p>He said that the quoted prices were unreasonable, adding that he had instructed officials to cancel the tender.</p>
<p>Training guns at the Vijay-led government, DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, questioning the proposed electricity procurement rates and claiming that the higher costs could be borne by consumers.</p>
<p>“I strongly condemn the rotten administration of this ‘Cheap CM’—an administration that has reached a new, unprecedented low by deciding to purchase electricity at Rs. 41 per unit, even after already paying an exorbitant Rs. 35 per unit", he wrote in a post on X.</p>
<p>“Is this why, just two days ago, his entire brigade—from his ‘half-pant’ (immature) followers to his online abusers—were peddling the false claim that the cost of power generation somewhere in Rajasthan was the actual procurement price?" he added.</p>
<p>Describing Vijay as a “dummy CM", Stalin Jr. accused the government of failing to provide effective administration.</p>
<p>Cheap CM-இன் சீழ்பிடித்த ஆட்சியில், வரலாற்றில் இல்லாத அளவுக்கு ஒரு யூனிட் மின்சாரத்தை ரூ.35-க்கு வாங்குவது போதாது என்று அடுத்தக்கட்டமாக ஒரு யூனிட் மின்சாரத்தை ரூ.41 கொடுத்து வாங்கவுள்ளதற்கு எனது கடும் கண்டனங்களைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.இதற்காகத்தான், இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு முன்பு, அரை டவுசர்கள் முதல் Online Abusers வரை, ராஜஸ்தானில் ஏதோ ஒரு இடத்தில் மின் உற்பத்திக்கு ஆகும் செலவை, கொள்முதல் விலை என்று உருட்டிக்கொண்டிருந்தார்களா?</p>
<p>நடத்துவது ஆட்சியும் இல்லை – செய்வது நிர்வாகமும் இல்லை – ஆனால், இவ்வளவு Confident-ஆக நானும் முதலமைச்சர் என்று வலம் வரும் #DUMMY_CM, கூடுதல் விலைக்கு மின்சாரம் வாங்கி, அதற்கான செலவை மின்கட்டணம் என்ற பெயரில் மக்கள் தலையில் கட்டப்போகும் கொடுமைக்குப் பெயர் தான் மாற்றமா?</p>
<p>இவர்களின் கையாலாகத்தனத்தால் விலைவாசி உயர்வில் தமிழ்நாடு முதலிடத்தில் இருக்கும் போது, பண்டிகை நேரம் பார்த்து ஆவின் பால் பொருட்களின் விலையையும் ஏற்றி இருக்கிறார்கள்.</p>
<p>இப்படி இடைவிடாமல் மக்கள் வயிற்றில் அடித்து, தமிழ்நாட்டை Reverse Gear போட்டுப் பின்னுக்கு இழுத்துச் செல்லும் இந்த சர்க்கஸ் கும்பலின் ஆட்டத்திற்கு மக்களே தக்கப்பாடம் புகட்டுவார்கள்.</p>
<p>“This is neither governance nor administration. Yet, this ‘#DUMMY_CM’—who struts around with such misplaced confidence, claiming to be the Chief Minister—is now set to burden the public by forcing them to pay for this high-priced electricity through inflated electricity bills. Is this what they call ‘change’ (a reference to the DMK’s election slogan)?" he wrote.</p>
<p>“At a time when Tamil Nadu leads in price hikes due to their sheer incompetence, they have also chosen the festive season to increase the prices of Aavin dairy products", the DMK leader said.</p>
<p>Stalin accused the government of “dragging the state backward", claiming the people themselves will teach a “fitting lesson" to what he called a “circus troupe".</p>
<p>“The people themselves will teach a fitting lesson to this ‘circus troupe’—a group that relentlessly hits the public where it hurts most, dragging Tamil Nadu into ‘reverse gear’ and pushing the state backward."</p>
<p>The Tamil Nadu government cancelled the short-term power procurement tenders after bidders quoted unreasonable rates ranging from Rs 37 to Rs 41 per unit, with Energy Minister Nirmal Kumar noting that the state has sufficient power for the next three months.</p>
<p>DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin criticized the administration, arguing that purchasing electricity at such high rates would ultimately burden ordinary consumers through inflated electricity bills.</p>
<p>Energy Minister Nirmal Kumar stated that Tamil Nadu currently has sufficient power to manage its requirements for the next three months, making the high-rate procurement unnecessary.</p>
