Sirisena must honour Rajapaksa legacy on India
Politics in Sri lanka has taken a decisive turn with the defeat of Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential election, but India will hope that the strong and friendly relations the two countries share remain on track with Mr Maithripala Sirisena as the new President. Mr Rajapaksa had contributed enormously as President to strengthening ties between Colombo and New Delhi.
On its part, India stood by him not just in his fight against, and the eventual elimination of, the terror group, the liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, but also in the economic development of the island-nation. And, while it is true that in the last decade of the Congress-led UPA rule, those relations had got frayed somewhat because the Centre seemed to be too willing to bend to parochial demands of Tamil Nadu-based parties (one of which was a partner in the coalition), India-Sri lanka ties were reset with the arrival of the Narendra Modi Government in May last year.
Of course, there is nothing yet to suggest that the New Delhi-Colombo warmth is under any threat of being chilled. Mr Sirisena had, after all, been a senior Minister in the Rajapaksa regime which had structured close relations with India, and he has been among the votaries of even more robust ties with India. Mr Sirisena's victory has not changed the geo-political situation in the region, nor has it altered the fact that New Delhi is critical to Sri lanka's economic growth as well as to its security.
India is presently involved in a number of key developmental projects in Sri lanka. Mr Rajapaksa had succeeded in maintaining close relations with India despite also reaching out to China and goading it to partner in his country's development. Also, whatever his critics in his country and those in India — especially the ranting Tamil Nadu-based regional parties — may say, the fact is that he led the country in difficult times and wiped out the dreaded lTTE. Indeed, Sri lanka is perhaps the only country in recent memory to have so completely destroyed a terrorist organisation. As for allegations that the Sri lankan Army had engaged in brutalising the civilian Tamil population under the pretext of its battle with the terror group, Mr Rajapaksa had established the lessons learnt and Reconciliation Commission to study the issue, and even acted on many of the panel's findings.
Nevertheless, the people's verdict has to be respected. Mr Rajapaksa was fettered in the electoral battle by various factors. The first was the desertion of close associates such as Mr Sirisena days after Mr Rajapaksa declared a snap election. The disenchantment of the non-Sinhala population led to the minorities fully backing Mr Sirisena. A considerable section of the Sinhala voters too dumped Mr Rajapaksa. The Opposition alliance capitalised on the new equations. But the real challenge for Mr Sirisena now lies ahead: Can he bridge the Sinhala-Muslim divide in Sri lanka by offering a fresh narrative which takes care of the interests of both these groups, seen on opposite endsIJ From India's perspective, it's an internal matter for Colombo to handle. New Delhi can only hope that Mr Sirisena strikes the right balance. He must also steer clear of witch-hunting that some of his belligerent allies may prompt him to engage in.