Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has now targeted the BJP and Prime Minister Modi from the shoulders of the left-liberal outlet The Wire, which published an article suggesting the PM’s role in influencing a deal in Sri Lanka involving the Indian enterprise Adani group.
Even though the Sri Lankan president rejected any such collusion or favour for any specific company, Rahul Gandhi has tried to level allegations on the Modi government, upset because an Indian company won a bid for a project in Sri Lanka.
It is not understood why Rahul Gandhi would be upset about an Indian company winning the bid for a large project abroad.
Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to peddle the claims made by The Wire and attack PM Modi. In a tweet, putting the image of the article by The Twire, he wrote, “BJP’s cronyism has now crossed Palk Strait and moved into Sri Lanka.”
The controversy developed after a top Sri Lankan official claimed in front of a Lankan parliamentary panel that PM Narendra Modi supposedly forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to give a power project in Sri Lanka to the Adani Group but then repudiated the comments as the debate intensified. Taking on such lines, left-liberal websites such as The Wire disseminated deception.
It is notable here that the official named MMC Ferdinando had stated the very next that his claims were wrong and he had become “emotional” due to some questions that made him uneasy.
The official’s remark was emphatically dismissed by Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Taking to his official Twitter account, the President stated explicitly that he denies authorising to award this project to any single individual or business. He wrote, “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.”
The issue concerns the allocation of the Mannar Wind Power Project’s development contract. The Adani Group has won the bid to build a 1,000 MW wind power facility near Mannar worth more than $1 billion. Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of the Adani Group, had presented a proposal to the Sri Lanka Board of Investment (BOI) and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The BOI later forwarded the application to the Cabinet-appointed Management Committee on Investments (CAMCI), which was formed to expedite investment proposals. Around December of last year, the agreement was approved.