Ensure equality, dignity of Tamils: India to SL Prez

India has conveyed to the new President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, its expectation that his government would ensure equality, justice, peace and dignity for the minority Tamils in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Several political parties in Tamil Nadu of late expressed concern over the fate of minority Tamils of Sri Lanka after Rajapaksa Clan's return to power in Colombo. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government in New Delhi, however, sought to reassure them on Thursday, underlining that it had already reached out to the newly-elected President of Sri Lanka and would continue to engage with the new dispensation in the island nation to safeguard the rights of the minority Tamils living in Northern and Eastern provinces of the island.

The issue of safeguarding the interests of Tamils in Sri Lanka was discussed when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on newly elected President in Colombo on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Tuesday.

“External Affairs Minister conveyed to President Rajapaksa (Gotabaya) 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,” Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the MEA, said.

Gotabaya, younger brother of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, won the presidential election in Sri Lanka on Sunday – marking the return of the Rajapaksa Clan to power after a gap of almost four years. He already appointed his elder brother Mahinda as Prime Minister of the island nation, replacing Ranil Wickremesinghe.

New Delhi was cautiously watching the latest presidential elections in Sri Lanka as Rajapaksa Clan regained popularity riding on a wave of Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalism that swept the nation after a series of explosions killed over 250 people in the island on April 21 this year, causing unease among religious minority Muslims and ethnich minority Tamils.

“You must have seen President Rajapaksa’s statement where he affirmed that he will be the President of all Sri Lankans irrespective of their racial or religious identity and without creating a distinction on whether they voted for him or not,” the MEA spokesperson said, adding: “President also stated that he is committed to ensuring the development of the Northern and Eastern provinces and considers India a valued partner towards this endeavour”.

The return of Rajapaksa Clan to power made the political parties in Tamil Nadu jittery in view of the alleged atrocities on minority Tamils in Sri Lanka during the crackdown on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from 2006 to 2009.

Gotabaya, who will visit New Delhi on November 29 in his first foreign tour as President of Sri Lanka, was Defence Secretary during his elder brother's presidency and oversaw the final military offensive against the LTTE.

Jaishankar in fact called on the new President of Sri Lanka on a day his nephew Namal Rajapaksa, a member of the parliament, criticized the leaders of Tamil Nadu of India, asking them to shun opportunistic politics. His statement came in response to concerns expressed by Tamil Nadu political parties on election of his uncle as the new President of Sri Lanka.