Selvam Adaikalanathan Warns of Public Sacrifice if Mannar Wind Power Project Proceeds

26-Sep-2025

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Selvam Adaikkalanathan, Member of Parliament from the Tamil National Alliance, warned that people would not hesitate to sacrifice their lives if the Mannar wind power project continues without addressing local concerns.

Speaking during the debate on the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on September 24, he criticized President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s decision to proceed with the project despite ongoing protests in both Mannar and Colombo. 

He asked whether the people’s protest in Mannar was false, whether their livelihoods were being denied, and whether their rights were being dismissed.

Adaikkalanathan accused the President of disregarding the survival of the local community while pushing forward with the project. He stated that while the people are committed to peaceful protest, they are ready to make sacrifices to ensure future generations are not destroyed by this harmful project. 

He urged the government to immediately halt the project, stating that true economic progress cannot come at the cost of people’s lives and survival.

He also reminded the President that as someone with a background in protest movements, he should not impose projects that endanger people’s lives. 

The people of Mannar, he warned, are determined to continue their protest, and it will only grow stronger. He concluded by saying that if the project is carried out in a way that undermines the people’s peaceful movement, the people will not hesitate to sacrifice themselves.