Official who talked about PM Modi's pressure on Sri Lanka resigns
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New Delhi: The Sri Lankan official who accused PM Modi of cronyism in the island nation's parliament resigned on Monday.
M M C Ferdinando on Friday stirred up a political storm in Sri Lanka, stating to a Parliamentary body that PM Modi had pressured President Gotabaya to hand in a power project to Adani Group.
The Chairman of Sri Lanka's Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) later retracted from his statement against PM Modi, saying he was "emotional" at the time.
Despite the official's attempt to patch up by retracting, the Opposition attacked the Rajapaksa government.
They accused him of giving "Modi's friends" a back door entry to the country.
With the controversy raging, Sri Lanka's Minister for Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera announced on Twitter, Ferdinando's resignation.
Now, Vice Chairman Nalinda Ilangaokoon has taken over the as the Chairman of CEB.
On Friday, Ferdinando told a parliamentary committee that Rajapaksa summoned him on November 24 and asked him to hand in a 500-megawatt energy project in the northern Mannar district to the Adani Group.
He claimed that Rajapaksa as saying that Prime Minister Modi pressured him for the Adani Group.
He told the panel that Rajapaksa insisted him look into the matter.
However, the letter he sent to the Sri Lankan Finance Ministry a day after his meeting with Rajapaksa didn't mention any pressure from Modi, according to The Indian Express.
It said that the President had asked him to "facilitate" the project to the Adani Group as it agreed to make "substantial" investment in the country.
Rajapaksa was quick to deny the allegation, with his office saying that Rajapaksa had not given any authorization to award a wind power project in Mannar to any person or institution. The Indian government has not responded to the controversy happening in Sri Lanka.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday tweeted that BJP's cronyism crossed Palk Strait to Sri Lanka.
