Solution cannot be a Rajapaksa-Sampanthan deal, President tells Indian delegation

All political parties must get together for an all-inclusive political solution for Sri Lanka’s ethnic issue and it cannot be just an agreement between the ruling party and the Tamil party, President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasised yesterday.

“All parties must get together for an all-inclusive political solution. We cannot import a solution and it cannot be a Rajapaksa-Sampanthan agreement,” President Rajapaksa told a visiting Indian delegation when they called on the President at Temple Trees.

The six-member Indian delegation headed by the deputy leader of Indian opposition Bharatha Janatha Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad, told the President that “Sri Lanka’s unity and integrity are not negotiable.”

Congratulating Rajapaksa for eradicating terrorism, the delegation said that what they saw during their visit to Jaffna “was an eye-opener,” noting the development that has taken place and said that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report “was a bold step and is brilliantly written.”

The delegation also spoke about the nature of the relationship between India and Sri Lanka and said that local issues in Sri Lanka sometimes impact India as well.

“Sri Lanka is a friend of India beyond politics, beyond government,” Prasad said. “It’s a relationship of the heart.”

The discussion also focused on several other areas of mutual interest, including the challenges faced by fishermen and the Parliamentary Select Committee to find a political solution in the north and east.

The Indian delegation asked the President about northern elections to which President Rajapaksa reaffirmed his commitment to holding the elections in September this year.

The delegation visited the northern Jaffna peninsula on Wednesday and during the visit, they held discussions with the leaders of Tamil parties including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). They also met the Governor of the Northern Province to discuss the Northern Provincial Council elections planned to be held in September.

The BJP-led team has told the Tamils in the north that India is ready to provide the “healing touch” but it cannot be expected to solve their political problems. Prasad has told the Tamil parties that India cannot solve their problem and urged them to participate in the domestic political process to arrive at a solution.

The delegation includes Suresh Prabhu (Shiv Sena), Ram Madhav (RSS), journalist and political commentator Swapan Dasgupta, former IFS officer Vivek Katju and human rights activist Monika Arora.

Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Karunatilaka Amunugama and Advisor to the President Dr. Sunimal Fernando were also present for the discussions.