- Thursday, February 27, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Sri Lankan official who had claimed that his country’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa had acted under pressure from Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to award an energy contract in the island-nation to Indian businessman Gautam Adani’s company, has resigned.
According to reports, MMC Ferdinando, the chairman of Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), retracted his claim on Sunday (12) that the country’s president had told him that Modi had asked him to give the wind power project directly to the Adani Group.
He made the claim on Friday (10) at an open hearing of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), a parliamentary panel in Sri Lanka.
The allegations involve a 500-megawatt renewable-energy project in Sri Lanka’s Mannar district. A video appeared on Twitter which showed Ferdinando making the sensational claim at an open COPE hearing. According to reports, the official told the panel that the Sri Lankan president “told me that he was under pressure from Modi”.
On Sunday, Ferdinando withdrew his remarks following a strong denial by Rajapaksa on the social media platform. He said he had been “overcome with emotion” after facing questions that suggested that he had committed something wrong.
Kanchana Wijesekera, Sri Lanka’s minister of power and energy, tweeted saying he had accepted the resignation of Ferdinando and the latter was replaced by Nalinda Ilangaokoon as the new chairman of CEB.
I have accepted the letter of resignation tendered to me by the CEB Chairman Mr MMC Ferdinando. Vice Chairman Nalinda Ilangaokoon will take over as the New Chairman CEB.
— Kanchana Wijesekera (@kanchana_wij) June 13, 2022
“Regarding a statement made by the #lka CEB Chairman at a COPE committee hearing regarding the award of a Wind Power Project in Mannar, I categorically deny authorisation to award this project to any specific person or entity. I trust responsible communication in this regard will follow,” Rajapaksa tweeted.
Re a statement made by the #lka CEB Chairman at a COPE committee hearing regarding the award of a Wind Power Project in Mannar, I categorically deny authorisation to award this project to any specific person or entity. I trust responsible communication in this regard will follow.
— Gotabaya Rajapaksa (@GotabayaR) June 11, 2022
His office later issued a longer statement “vehemently denying” the charge. The president had “categorically stated that he had not at any time given authorisation to award a wind power project in Mannar to any person or any institution,” the statement read.
“Sri Lanka is currently in an acute shortage of power and president desires to expedite implementation of mega power projects as early as possible. However, no undue influence will be used in awarding such projects. Project proposals for large-scale renewable energy projects is limited, but special attention will be paid to the selection of institutions for the projects, which will be carried out strictly in accordance with the transparent and accountable system by the government of Sri Lanka,” Rajapaksa’s office said.
Ferdinando was also quoted by Sri Lankan newspaper ‘The Morning’ apologising and saying that due to “unexpected pressures and emotions”, he was compelled to take the name of Modi.
The episode took place a day after the island-nation, which is going through one of its worst crises in history, changed its laws and got rid of competitive bidding for energy projects.
The opposition parties accused the government of making the change to facilitate the Mannar project contract award.
They also alleged that the government was hurrying with the amendments to give large renewable energy deals to the Indian company, which signed an unsolicited government-to-government agreement to build the Mannar plant.
The Adani Group reportedly won contracts to develop two wind power projects in Sri Lanka — in Mannar and Pooneryn — in December.
Adani went to Sri Lanka in October and tweeted about his meeting with the country’s president.
