Rajasthan refinery agreement: BJP says MoU signed under Congress tenure damaged state interests

Jaipur, Dec 30 Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel on Tuesday hit back at former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s remarks on the Rajasthan Refinery project, stating that the agreement signed during the Congress government was not in the interest of the state, while the revised agreement under the BJP government safeguarded Rajasthan’s rights and benefits.

Responding to questions at a press conference, Patel said that Ashok Gehlot was making statements merely to stay in the headlines.

He claimed that had the agreement signed with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) during Gehlot’s tenure remained unchanged, the refinery would neither have been built nor would Rajasthan have gained anything substantial from it.

“Despite land, water and crude oil belonging to Rajasthan, the terms of the earlier agreement would have given the state virtually no benefit,” Patel said.

He added that after reviewing the agreement in 2017, the then BJP-led state government entered into a fresh MoU with HPCL, ensuring Rajasthan’s economic and strategic interests.

Patel advised the former Chief Minister to compare the Congress-era MoU with the revised agreement before making public statements.

Earlier, Ashok Gehlot had described the Pachpadra Refinery as a symbol of Rajasthan’s development and economic future.

He said that during his second term as Chief Minister, the Congress government made determined efforts to bring the refinery project to the state.

Gehlot stated that HPCL was initially reluctant to set up the refinery, but after the intervention of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rajasthan secured the project.

He recalled that the foundation stone was laid in Pachpadra in 2013, in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and then Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily.

Gehlot alleged that after the change of government in 2013, the BJP stalled the refinery project for nearly five years, leading to a sharp escalation in costs, from an estimated Rs 37,000 crore to nearly Rs 1 lakh crore.

He said that when the Congress returned to power in 2018, work on the refinery resumed at a fast pace, and despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 85 per cent of the project was completed between 2018 and 2023.

Gehlot further pointed out that during a review meeting in Pachpadra in May 2023, HPCL had assured that commercial production would begin by December 2024, but the target was not met after the BJP came back to power. He also noted that the 2025 budget promised the refinery would be operational by August, a deadline that has since passed.

Stating that reports now suggest the project is almost complete, Gehlot urged the state government to inaugurate the refinery at the earliest so that commercial production can commence.

--IANS

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