FSP accuses govt. of reducing Sri Lanka to a puppet of India by giving away sensitive data
Jana Aragalaya Movement, affiliated to the Frontline Socialist Party, yesterday raised alarm over a move to hand over Sri Lankans’ fingerprint and iris biometric data to a blacklisted foreign company.
Speaking at a media briefing in front of the Ministry of Fisheries yesterday Jana Aragalaya Movement National Operational Committee Member Wasantha Mudalige alleged that India was seeking access to Sri Lanka’s sensitive national data systems in a bid to exert influence over the country.
He said that decision-making authority over the proposed biometric identity card system was being ceded to India.
Mudalige said the electronic identity card project, launched in 2012, had already cost Rs. 5.6 billion in software development, with a further Rs. 600 million needed for completion. However, he alleged that in 2021 the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration had moved to integrate the project
with India for biometric implementation, despite substantial local investment already made.
He said a government tender process had been initiated but later stalled after bidders failed to meet required qualifications.
He alleged that in 2023 the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration had attempted to award the project to Madras Security Printers, a company blacklisted over an excise-related fraud case, and that the move was halted following public opposition.
Mudalige added that after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office, Sri Lanka had signed an agreement with India in January 2025 under which tendering authority was also transferred.
He alleged that while five Indian companies were initially registered, a sixth company—Madras Security Printers—was later added by March 2026, raising further concerns.
Calling for urgent clarification, Mudalige warned that Sri Lanka risked undermining its sovereignty and national security, insisting the country must not be reduced to what he termed a foreign “puppet state.”
by Chaminda Silva