Busy schedule for Indian P’ment team in Sri Lanka

The Indian parliamentary delegation to visit Sri Lanka from 16 to 21 April will have a packed program in the island as they plan to meet all Tamil political parties and key government and opposition members.

The 15-member multi-party delegation led by Sushma Swaraj, the leader of opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lok Sabha of the Indian parliament will arrive later Monday in the country.

They are scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa on Tuesday (17) morning, the Indian daily The Hindu reported.

The team will visit the Sri Lankan parliament and meet the Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and other parliamentarians before meeting with the representatives of Sri Lanka’s major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

The delegation will also meet the MPs of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the upcountry Tamil Party Ceylon Workers Congress. Both parties are coalition partners of the government.

The Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Ashok Kantha will host a dinner for the delegation.

The team is scheduled to head for North on 18 April. They will visit Medawchchiya, where the Indian government owned IRCON, the company rebuilding the Northern Railway, is based before heading to Mullaitivu to get a firsthand look at the development projects carried out with Indian funding.  They will visit Jaffna next and meet with Jaffna district MPs and civil society representatives. The Jaffna Security Forces Commander will brief the delegation on the progress of the region on various fronts, according to The Hindu report.

The delegation is also scheduled to visit Kankasanthurei Harbour next day to witness the progress of the rehabilitation of the harbour, another project funded by India before heading back to Kalutara in South to witness the handing over of completed Southern Coastal railway line.  They will also meet the Sri Lankan opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe and travel to East to meet the people of Batticaloa and the chief Minister of Eastern Province Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan.

The delegation is scheduled to visit Dickoya in the central hill country to observe the progress of a hospital project funded by India for the benefit of the plantation Tamils.

On their last day of visit, the delegation is expected to meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa over breakfast.

Members of the Indian Congress, opposition BJP, Tamil political party Karunanidhi-led Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) and Left parties will represent the delegation. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa pulled out her All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MP from the delegation.