INDIA NEWS

President Mahinda Rajapakse has informed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that devolving of police powers to the provincial councils was not acceptable by the Sri Lankan government, Minister of External Affairs Professor G. L. Peiris informed Parliament today.Minister Peiris who was responding to a statement made by Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremsinghe who raised a question on the reports which said the Indian Prime Minister had told President Rajapaksa to work towards bringing about national reconciliation in Sri Lanka, by implementing a solution to the national issue by devolving powers, which went beyond the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.Professor Peiris said President Rajapaksa explained the position of the Sri Lankan government during the bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi when the former visited Delhi […]

Indian Government on cordial bi-lateral journey with Sri Lanka – Presidential spokesman By Manjula Fernando Presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayake who is an expert on UN affairs and international relations said Sri Lanka’s diplomatic skills will be put to the test under the new Indian Government which seems to have embarked on a cordial bi-lateral journey with Sri Lanka. Mohan Samaranayake Samaranayake said with Tamil Nadu politicians and the pro LTTE diaspora hell-bent on rocking the boat, retaining the new Prime Minister’s goodwill will prove to be our toughest job in the months to come. Excerpts of the interview Having a strong government at the Centre is a reason for Sri Lanka to celebrate. Without being swayed or pressurized by regional forces, the new Indian government is […]

By Rajasingham Jayadevan – Quotes: ·      Earlier, in January 2009, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo reported in a cable (189383: confidential, January 29, 2009) on External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit that President Rajapaksa had spoken of a 13th Amendment Plus plan (Hindu-26/3/2011). ·      Following from that on 10 July 2013, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon — who met top Sri Lanka leaders here in the last two days — emphasized the need for Colombo to fulfill its commitment to India and the international community regarding a political settlement that would go beyond the 13th Amendment of the country’s Constitution. Speaking to the Indian media here after a breakfast meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday, Mr. Menon said: “We have made our views clear on how […]

By K Godage A new treaty with our blood relative India is an imperative, let us clear the way for it. Modi becoming Prime Minister affords us a God given opportunity, let us not let it pass. It has been reported that India’s new Prime Minister  has raised the old issue of the 13th Amendment which they foisted on us and insisted that Land and Police powers not be taken away from the  Provincial Councils, when President Rajapaksa called on him after he was sworn in. This is the old demand which they keep bringing up whenever our Presidents meet their Prime Ministers. To my mind it appears that our leaders have failed to make India understand why we cannot devolve land and Police powers […]

Government Minister Wimal Weerawansa has warned that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may pose a threat to Sri Lanka’s Government. But the Sri Lankan government is counting on Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister of India and anti Tamil Subramanium Swamy to help them fool PM Modi as they did with Manmohan singh. The Minister said that Modi and his new Government has pushed for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the constitution and will add pressure on the Sri Lankan Government on the promises made by President Rajapaksha to implement more than 13th amendment to than PM Manmohan Singh and Sonia Ganthi in 2009. In May 2009 India made the western leaders to trust the promises made by President Rajapaksha who promised to implement more than 13th amendment […]

India’s newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clearly indicated that the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution should be “optimally” implemented, according to Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Senior Minister for Scientific Affairs and chairman of the now-defunct All Party Representative Committee (APRC). Speaking at Thursday’s Sunday Times Business Club (STBC) discussion on the “Indian polls impact on Sri Lanka” at the Cinnamon Lakeside hotel, Prof. Vitharana added that Mr. Modi “wants the Tamil community to be given a solution to the national question which would accord with their sense of dignity and their satisfaction to work within one Sri Lanka”. “I would say that this is something that is very clear from what has transpired so far… And therefore it is up to us in […]

The new Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in his very first meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has called for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment and going beyond in order to address the political aspirations of Tamils in Sri Lanka.  Modi’s call was predictable and in consonance with the stance of the previous Congress Government in New Delhi. BJP’s position on the ethnic question in Sri Lanka has also been made public by its former leader of the Lok Sabha and the current External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, who advocated for the devolution of powers within a united Sri Lanka. What is however new, is the sense of urgency, India is showing in getting the Sri Lankan Government to address the grievances of […]

She may not have made headlines in Sri Lanka yet but Sushma Swaraj, the first woman to be appointed as India’s Minister of External Affairs will be a key player in forging that country’s foreign policy towards Sri Lanka over the next few years.Swaraj was sworn in for the vital portfolio by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and her appointment should be considered a bonus for Sri Lanka which must be relieved at the prospect of a strong government in New Delhi that does not have to bow to the dictates of parties in Tamil Nadu. Swaraj, unlike her immediate predecessors Salman Khurshid, S.M. Krishna and Pranab Mukherjee, is one of the few politicians in New Delhi that Sri Lankan leaders have developed a […]

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, soon after being sworn in, had a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and spelt out his government’s policy on Sri Lanka.  The media quoted India’s Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, as having said that Mr. Modi asked President Rajapaksa to expedite the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka.   Quoting the Prime Minister, she said the full implementation of the 13th Amendment or going beyond that would contribute to this process.While highlighting the need to strengthen the bilateral relations, the two leaders focused on the entire gamut of issues. The implementation of the Sampur coal power project was also among the matters discussed by the two leaders, and there was a quick appraisal of Indian funded projects being implemented in various stages in […]

Ranil has 4 buddies in Indian cabinet! “I thought he had asked me to come because of friendship. Now, it seems he is worse than the previous ones. I will have to learn Hindu because he does not know English. If he bullies us that much at the very first meeting, it is sure he will finish us off within a year or so. Not a single Indian should be trusted,” saying thus, president Mahinda Rajapaksa played havoc at Temple Trees yesterday (29) morning upon his return from India, say Temple Trees internal sources. After attending Indian new prime minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in at New Delhi, the president spent the entire morning in a rage without doing any work. During times the president loses his […]