New Delhi: India on Thursday stated that external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had carried a message from New Delhi for the new Sri Lankan president, on the need to meet the aspirations of the Tamil population and thus push for reconciliation.
The Indian statement also seemingly implied that New Delhi may have nudged Gotabaya Rajapaksa to issue a conciliatory statement of his own.
Jaishankar had rushed to Colombo a day after Rajapaksa was declared winner of the Presidential elections. He carried an invitation letter from prime minister Narendra Modi for the newly elected Sri Lankan head. Following their meeting on Tuesday, India announced that Rajapaksa would be travelling to New Delhi on November 29 and 30.
On Tuesday, India had only said that the message carried by Jaishankar was about New Delhi looking forward to take ahead the agenda of strengthening bilateral ties with Colombo under the new regime.
Two days later, India’s external affairs ministry provided more details on their meeting.
Also read: Sri Lanka’s New President Gotabaya: The View From New Delhi
The external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, however, told reporters at the weekly briefing on Thursday that India had raised the Tamil issue with Rajapaksa.
“EAM [external affairs minister] conveyed to president Rajapaksa India’s expectation that the Sri Lankan government will take forward the process of national reconciliation to arrive at a solution that meets the aspirations of the Tamil community for equality, justice, peace and dignity,” said Kumar.
He then pointed out that Rajapaksa had issued a statement that the latter was “President of all Sri Lankans irrespective of their racial or religious identity and [would continue to be so] without creating a distinction on whether they voted for him or not”.
Rajapaksa also reportedly told the Indian foreign minister that he was committed to developing the Tamil-dominated Northern and Eastern provinces and that he “considers India a valued partner towards this endeavour”.
The Sri Lankan president had tweeted a statement on the evening of November 19 where he wrote on representing Sri Lankans irrespective of their voting choice.
I am now the President of all Sri Lankans, whether they voted for me or not and irrespective of their ethnicity or religious beliefs. Elections are now over and I need the support of all Sri Lankans to build a prosperous nation where all can live with respect and dignity. pic.twitter.com/2Cee6HwyJI
— Gotabaya Rajapaksa (@GotabayaR) November 19, 2019
While this statement had been issued right after his meeting with the Indian foreign minister, this was not the first time that Rajapaksa has made such remarks. Rajapaksa had made a near identical statement on Sunday (November 17) evening, after he became the official winner.
I am the President of not only those who voted for me but also those who voted against me and irrespective of which race or religion they belong to.
I am deeply committed to serve all the people of Sri Lanka. #VisionInAction #GR2020 #GOTAWithYou pic.twitter.com/jETeIK0qH2
— Gotabaya Rajapaksa (@GotabayaR) November 17, 2019
Rajapaksa had won the elections based on overwhelming support from the Sinhala-dominated South. The majority of the votes in Northern and Eastern provinces had gone to his rival, Sajith Premadasa.
Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu regional party PMK’s leader S. Ramadoss had urged Modi to raise the issue of accountability for alleged war crimes by security forces towards the end of the civil war.
The new president had been the defence secretary during the presidential tenure of his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa – the latter was sworn in as the prime minister of Sri Lanka on Thursday.
“It is understandable why India is inviting Rajapaksa, which would be his first foreign visit. The closeness of the Rajapaksa brothers to China would be a possible reason for India’s invite. However, this should not come at the cost of ensuring the welfare of the Tamils,” Ramadoss said in a statement, a portion of which was quoted in The Hindu.