India dumps discredited Rajapaksas, will continue supporting Lankan people

BY S VENKAT NARAYAN    
Our Special Correspondent

 NEW DELHI, July 16: India will continue to support the people of Sri Lanka and help them to the best of its ability in their hour of need. This is the consensus among ordinary Indians, decision-makers, the media as well as the elite, the Sunday Island understands.In line with this popular thinking, the government has promptly distanced itself from the discredited Rajapaksa clan. Officials have made it clear that the government

has not offered any support to  Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his brother and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and others to flee Sri Lanka.New Delhi is watching the situation in Colombo closely.The Indian High Commission in Colombo has said it “categorically denies baseless and speculative media reports that India facilitated the recent reported travel” of  Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa.

“It is reiterated that India will continue to support the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions and constitutional framework,” the High Commission added.

Last Sunday, the High Commission had also strongly denied reports suggesting India will send troops into Sri Lanka. The Ministry of External Affairs put out a statement that India will “stand with” the people of Sri Lanka. This is a position the government has taken ever since the protests in Colombo escalated, thus carefully moving away from past statements that mentioned discussions with former President Gotabaya and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The comments have followed several unconfirmed reports in Colombo that members of the Rajapaksa family, with the exception of former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa who has decided for the moment to remain in Sri Lanka, were in touch with senior Indian officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, for “safe passage” as they made attempts to reach destinations in the UAE, the US and Singapore.

Officials here have strongly denied any Indian role in helping the ousted Sri Lankan leadership flee. Instead, India has been focusing on providing food, fuel, medicines, and other essentials to the country as Sri Lankans grapple with the worst economic crisis in over seven decades.

Endorsing the government’s stand, former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao said: “The Rajapaksas stand totally discredited in the eyes of the Sri Lankan people…To be on the wrong side of history by facilitating their escape from Sri Lanka could not be on option. I believe India has done well in respecting the voice of Sri Lankan democratic opinion in this regard.”

“India’s focus and concern has rightly been the plight of the people of Sri Lanka at this juncture. They are in want, they suffer because of the dire economic situation in the country. They are the constituency in need of help,” The Hindu quoted her as saying.

Senior officials pointed out that any hint of support to the outgoing leadership could also “complicate” New Delhi’s position with a new government about to be formed in Colombo. New Delhi would rather not be seen as taking sides and await the outcome of the election due on July 20.

The Narendra Modi government’s disavowal of the Rajapaksas is yet another twist in what has been a see-saw relationship since 2014. President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Modi hit it off at the start when the Sri Lankan President attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. At the SAARC summit in Kathmandu in November 2014, Modi even wished President Mahinda Rajapaksa success in the upcoming elections, which raised many eyebrows.

However, some months later, the relationship soured. Rajapaksa was defeated by a united opposition, something he blamed Indian intelligence officials for “engineering”. In 2019, as Modi’s second tenure began, the Rajapaksas returned to power, with massive mandates that elected President Gotabaya first, and Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister next. New Delhi and Colombo decided to forge a new relationship, getting off on a fresh footing.Soon after he was sworn-in, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa visited New Delhi, assuring that he would avoid the “misunderstandings of the past”, especially over China’s presence, by keeping the lines of communication open.

As Sri Lanka’s economic crisis spiraled out of control last November, the Modi government moved quickly to fulfil requests made by the Rajapaksas — opening credit lines for food and fuel, donating medicines, allowing debt repayment delays and enabling currency swaps to the tune of $3.8 billion.However, as the chants of “Gota Go Gama” grew louder at Colombo’s Galle Face green, New Delhi decided its first duty as a neighbour is to the people, and made it clear its assistance is meant for them and them only, and not as a way of helping the Rajapaksas tide over the crisis.