Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister in 35 years to address the Sri lankan Parliament. According to top Government officials attending the Defence Seminar 2014, organised by the Sri lanka Army at Colombo, Modi is expected to address Sri lankan Parliament in January 2015. late Morarji Desai was the last Indian Prime Minister to address the Parliament of the island nation during his visit to Sri lanka on February 6, 1979.
It is also learnt that Sushma Swaraj is making her maiden trip to Sri lanka as Minister for External Affairs in November. “This was agreed upon during the visit of Prof Gl Peiris, Sri lanka’s External Affairs Minister to New Delhi last month,” said a senior Sri lankan official.
The speakers who addressed the Defence Seminar 2014 at Colombo on Monday repeatedly quoted Modi. Interestingly, the Indian PM’s address to the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort on Indian Independence Day has become an instant hit in Sri lanka. PB Jayasundera, Secretary to the Treasury and Ministry of Finance waxed eloquent on Modi’s comments “sell anywhere but manufacture locally”.
Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy lit the traditional oil lamp to inaugurate the three-day international conclave. Swamy was followed by Sri lankan External Affairs Minister Peiris, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, lt-Gen Ratnayake (Commander of Sri lankan Army) and others.
The senior BJP leader was praised by all speakers including Peiris for his stance over the Sri lankan ethnic issue.
“It was Swamy who said that our victory against the lTTE was the first-of-its-kind event in world history. No one believed that we would be able to wipe out the most dreaded and ruthless terrorist organisation from Sri lanka,” said lalith Weeratunga, secretary to President Rajapaksa.