A senior leader of Bangladesh’s ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has alleged that the recent shutdown of a unit at Adani Power’s Godda thermal plant in Jharkhand was linked to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s decision not to attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made the claim on Wednesday while addressing a protest programme outside the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.
However, no evidence has been presented to establish a connection between Rahman’s absence from the BRICS Summit and the power plant outage. Available reports say one of the Godda plant’s two units was taken offline following a technical problem and was subsequently restored.
What Happened at the Godda Power Plant?
One unit of Adani Power’s 1,600 MW Godda Thermal Power Plant went offline late on September 10 following a technical fault involving its feed or boiler system.
The shutdown reduced electricity supply from the plant to Bangladesh from around 1,496 MW to below 800 MW.
The affected unit was synchronised with Bangladesh’s national grid again on September 13, after which supply began rising towards normal levels.
The disruption came at a difficult time for Bangladesh, which was already dealing with power shortages and load-shedding in several parts of the country.
Rizvi Links Outage to Tarique Rahman’s BRICS Decision
Speaking at the Dhaka event, Rizvi sought to connect the timing of the outage with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s decision not to travel to New Delhi for the September 12-13 BRICS Summit.
“He decided not to go, and the next day it was shut down,” Rizvi was quoted as saying, questioning whether the sequence of events was merely coincidental.
Rizvi also argued that because the power station is located in India, Bangladesh remains vulnerable to interruptions in electricity supply.
The allegations have not been supported by evidence linking Indian authorities or the plant operator to a politically motivated shutdown.
BNP Leader Raises ‘Conspiracy’ Allegation
Rizvi also accused India of creating what he described as a “web of conspiracy” against Bangladesh.
He said Rahman’s decision not to attend the BRICS meeting reflected Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty.
The remarks came during a protest organised by BNP-aligned groups over what organisers described as threats to Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
Rizvi had raised similar questions on September 12, when he asked whether repeated disruptions in Bangladesh’s energy infrastructure could involve sabotage.
Those concerns followed problems not only at the Godda plant but also at an LNG terminal in Maheshkhali. The reported disruptions at both facilities, however, have been attributed to technical faults.
Maheshkhali LNG Terminal Also Faced Disruptions
Bangladesh’s energy supply had already come under pressure following problems at the Maheshkhali LNG terminal.
The terminal went offline in July after a fire damaged electrical cables, affecting gas supplies to the national grid. It partially resumed operations in August before another technical problem disrupted operations again.
Against this backdrop, the Godda unit shutdown added further pressure to the country’s energy system.
Dispute Over Tarique Rahman’s BRICS Invitation
The controversy also comes amid differing accounts from New Delhi and Dhaka over the nature of the invitation extended to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for the BRICS Summit.
Bangladeshi officials had said Rahman was invited to the BRICS Outreach session in his capacity as chair of BIMSTEC rather than as the leader of a BRICS member or partner country.
India, however, said Rahman had received two separate invitations — one for a bilateral visit and another connected with the BRICS Summit in his capacity as BIMSTEC chair.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two invitations were separate and both remained valid.
Rahman ultimately did not attend the New Delhi summit.
Rizvi Says Decision Was About Bangladesh’s ‘Sovereignty’
Rizvi defended the prime minister’s decision, arguing that Rahman should not be expected to attend in a secondary capacity.
He said Rahman was the prime minister of an independent country and portrayed the decision to stay away as one taken in defence of Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
India has maintained that the BRICS-related invitation was extended to Rahman as the current chair of BIMSTEC, in keeping with the format for inviting leaders of regional groupings to outreach sessions.
Outage Restored After Technical Repairs
Despite the political allegations, the documented explanation for the Godda disruption remains a technical fault.
The affected unit returned to the grid on September 13, three days after going offline, and electricity supply from the plant subsequently increased.
The episode has nevertheless added another point of friction to the political debate surrounding India-Bangladesh relations, with Rizvi using the outage to raise questions about Bangladesh’s dependence on electricity imported from India.
