NEW DELHI : The unseating of Mahinda Rajapaksha and installation of Maithripala Sirisena in mid-term polls in Sri Lanka was this week’s most significant development for India in its neighbourhood.
New Delhi has now to watch how the new President, who is seen as more favourably inclined towards it and the Tamil ethnic minority, deals with their demand for more devolution of powers, and how he conducts relations with China which is rapidly growing its presence in the country.
Sri Lankan Tamils and Muslims have voted overwhelmingly in favour of Sirisena, who was the joint candidate of a fractured Opposition in which the United National Party played a leading role.
Sirisena is also said to be having full backing of former president Chandrika Kumaratanga. With the backing of the UNP and another key breakaway group, the Jathika Hela Urumaya or the Buddhist Mok Party, the new President has promised to bring in democratic reforms by constitutional changes. Though, he has so far said nothing specifically on devolution of more powers, especially to northern provinces dominated by ethnic Tamilians, it is believed that his government would be more forthcoming on this demand.
Smriti Pattanaik of the Institute of Defence Analyses(IDSA) who keeps watch on developments in and around the island nation says tackling the local political aspirations would be the immediate tasks of Sirisena, which may not have any immediate impact as far as India was concerned but its long-term benefit would certainly matter for New Delhi. Sri Lankan Tamils might be having great hopes from Sirisena as he got a overwhelming share of votes from the Tamil north which face brutal army action in the last days of the civil war. Ms Pattanaik says Sirisena’s main challenge and tact would be tested in his dealing with the Chinese question. There is a growing concern in Sri Lanka over the increasing debt to China which has made heavy investments in Sri Lanka, and also the increased in corruption which has come with these investments. (AGENCIES)_
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