Sirisena calls PM, rejects assassination plot report

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "categorically reject" reports that India's spy agency was planning to assassinate him.

Sirisena told Modi that reports of Research and Analysis Wing planning to assassinate him and former Lankan Defence Secretary Gotbhaya Rajpaksha were "mischievous and malafide" and were aimed at creating a misunderstanding between them.

A section of the media had reported that Sirisena had told a cabinet meeting that India's R&AW was planning to assassinate him

"The president of Sri Lanka stated that he categorically rejected the reports in sections of media about him alluding to the involvement of India in any manner whatsoever in an alleged plot to assassinate the President and a former Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka," an official statement said.

Sirisena also apprised Modi of the urgent steps taken by him personally and the Government of Sri Lanka to publicly reject these reports.

Sirisena also stated that he regarded the prime minister as a true friend of Sri Lanka, as also a close personal friend, the statement said.

Modi appreciated the prompt steps taken by Sirisena and his government to firmly refute the malicious reports by publicly clarifying the matters.

He also reiterated India’s emphasis on ‘neighbourhood first’ policy and the priority India and he personally attached to developing even stronger all-round cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.