Dr. S.Jaishankar, India's external affairs minister visited Sri Lanka yesterday (Oct 4) and called on the island nations newly elected leftist president Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his cabinet of ministers.
The Indian EAM's visit came on Mr. Dissanayake's twelfth day in office as president. Mr. Dissanayake rose to the thrown promising a culture of clean politics to a country that was plagued with heavy corruption, cronyism, economic failure and polarization along ethnic lines.
Mr.Dissanayake won 15 of the 22 electoral districts while failing to get a foothold in the 5 Tamil districts. The two Tamil provinces shunned him to the extent where he was ahead of the Tamil common candidate only by a mere 19,844 votes. The Tamils once again demonstrated their stand for Tamil nationalism in the 2024 presidential election by casting 226,343 votes to the Tamil Common candidate who came fifth in the presidential race behind war time president Mahinda Rajapakse’s son Namal Rajapakse, only by 116,438 votes.The 226,343 Tamils who voted for the Tamil common candidate in this year’s presidential election, has sent a clear message to the international community and India, that, unless and until their right to self determination and their inherent sovereign right to self governance are met, the Tamil Sinhala polarization will continue in Sri Lanka. Another notable message obvious by this voting was that, M.A.Sumanthiran the TNA parliamentarian always bets on the losing horse.It is in this backdrop the Indian EAM's visit took place on Thursday. It is learnt that Dr.Jaishankar discussed on India's neighbors first policy as usual with Sri Lanka's president, prime minister and the foreign minister.
Further in his discussions he has also emphasized that India has offered to modernize the Kankesanthurai port through a grant to the tune of 61.5 million US and said that, 20 million US worth payments for 7 completed Line of Credit projects could be converted into grant.
Speaking on the ethnic issue and reconciliation process, Dr. Jaishankar has reiterated India’s support for the full and effective implementation of the 13th Amendment of Sri Lanka’s Constitution and the early holding of Provincial Council elections.
Photo Credit: (AP/Sri Lanka President's House)