Sri Lankans say we are not against India. In fact, we are standing in solidarity with her citizens. We know about Gautam Adani.
In Colombo, furious Sri Lankans are sloganeering against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani where PM Modi’s struck an “illegal deal” with President Rajapaksa in the award of an energy project in Mannar district. They alleged that the Adani group got the project as part of a “dubious” deal between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. “Stop Adani”: Sri Lanka Protesters cry out in anger.
Sri Lankans say, “We are not against India. In fact, we are standing in solidarity with her citizens. We know Gautam Adani is a menace to Indian citizens. Let us be united and chase off this man who is corrupted to the core.”
We are not against #India. In fact, we are standing in solidarity with her citizens. We know @gautam_adani is a menace to #Indian citizens. Let us be united & chase off this man who is corrupted to the core.#StopAdani #SriLanka #lka #GoHomeGota #GoHomeRanil #අරගලයටජය pic.twitter.com/r44Gu5dJgn
— Prasad Welikumbura (@Welikumbura) June 16, 2022
Citizens in our neighbouring country are sloganeering against Modi ji and his partner Adani.
Silence till when Modi ji ? ?#Agnipath may divert India but what about SriLanka ?#AgnipathScheme #Agnipath #AgnipathWapasLo #BJP_Vendetta_Exposed #BJPfails #India #8Years_Of_Disaster pic.twitter.com/Hovz5MU8Am— Enlighten Telangana (@EnlightenTelan1) June 20, 2022
The Sri Lankans do not want an Adani hand in their nation as they view him as corrupt.
Yes to renewable energy, No to corrupt deals. @AdaniOnline @gautam_adani Don't exploit our crisis. Hands off Sri Lanka!#StopAdani #lka #GoHomeGota2020 #TransparencyAndAccountability pic.twitter.com/OGuYkNhf0t
— Climate Action Now Sri Lanka (@cansrilanka) June 17, 2022
They call Adani the most corrupt businessman in the region.
Today is the day & in front of Majestic City is the place. Be there at 2:00 PM. Stand up against the attempt of handing over our country to the most corrupted businessman in the region to #SriLanka.#lka #SriLanka #GoHomeAdani #StopAdani #India #Corruption #අරගලයටජය pic.twitter.com/t8mTIgN1jo
— Prasad Welikumbura (@Welikumbura) June 16, 2022
It looks like JVP is everywhere. This is JVP staging anti-Adani protests in #India.
🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️#lka #SriLanka #GoHomeAdani #StopAdani #GoHomeRanil #GoHomeGota #Corruption #අරගලයටජය pic.twitter.com/hFaJ8OBpM8— Prasad Welikumbura (@Welikumbura) June 16, 2022
“Modi and Gotabaya worked out a deal that is non-transparent and illegal, so that Adani did not have to go through a competitive bidding process,” said Nuzly Hameem, a procurement engineer working with a major construction company that took a project for the construction of a wind energy farm in Mannar. He is a member of the civil society group People’s Power, which coordinated the demonstration.
“The Sri Lanka Parliament passed an amendment to the Electricity Act to facilitate the Adani deal without any bidding,” added Nuzly Hameem, speaking with NDTV over the phone from Colombo.
Anjanette Wanduragala, an economics student who was part of the protests, told NDTV, “A nation of 22 million people is being kept in the dark through execution of such dubious deals. We are not opposing renewable energy; we are all for a sustainable eco-friendly solutions. But we are opposing corruption.”
Nuzly Hameem added, “We want competitive bidding for energy projects. We are thankful to India for its support and aid. We favor multilateral ties that benefit the country and not drain us through corrupt means by corrupt leaders.”
The controversy began after MMC Ferdinando, chairman of Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) who later quit, told a parliamentary panel that he was told by President Rajapaksa about PM Modi pressuring him to give the wind power project directly to the Adani group. President Rajapaksa strongly rejected the claim. A day later, Mr. Ferdinando retracted it.
But a letter exclusively accessed by NDTV suggests that Mr Ferdinando, while asking the Lankan Finance Ministry to fast-track approvals to the project, cited “directions by the (Lankan) Prime Minister” to recognize the Adani group proposal as one from the Indian government to the Lankan government.
The Adani group has said it is “disappointed” by the controversy. “Our intent in investing in Sri Lanka is to address the needs of a valued neighbor. As a responsible corporate, we see this as a necessary part of the partnership that our two nations have always shared. We are clearly disappointed by the detraction that seems to have come about. The fact is that the issue has already been addressed by and within the Sri Lankan Government,” a spokesperson of the group has said.
Sri Lanka is already experiencing turmoil after an economic crisis led to shortages of essential items.
Things are stormy in India with the Agnipath Scheme and the Sri Lankan protests too echoed back in India due to both sharing the same aversion to the Adani deals which eat up most of the corporate world
The Adani’s coal empire is also responsible for human rights abuses against Adivasi Indians, and First Nations communities in Australia and the hashtag StopAdani is going strong on Twitter.