Ranil ‘dumped’ for ‘hawkish’ Mahinda said India - Wikileaks

India believed that the LTTE ‘dumped’ Ranil Wickramasinghe at 2005 presidential elections for ‘hawkish’ Mahinda Rajapaksa in an attempt to prevent further peace talks, according to the latest revelations by Wikileaks.

 

The revelation by the whistle blower website come in the diplomatic cables sent by the then US Ambassador in Colombo, Robert O’ Blake in November 2005.

 

Tamil Tigers forced the electorate in LTTE-held territory to boycott the 2005 November presidential election. Many political analysts were of the opinion that the decision paved the way for Rajapaksa presidency.

 

Quoting Mohan Kumar, the Joint Secretary (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma) at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the US Ambassador says India was of the opinion that the LTTE was looking for a leader “easier to tackle” after having used Wickramasinghe to get some concessions.

 

Mahinda ‘will be moderate’

 

“Kumar speculated that Prabhakaran concluded the only way out was to bring the JVP to power, bide time and convince the international community that the Rajapakse government was unwilling to come back to negotiating table,” said one cable message.

 

Having earlier resigned from the UPFA protesting President Kumarathunga’s attempt to sign a peace deal with the LTTE, the JVP signed an electoral pact with Mahinda Rajapaksa in September 2005.

 

The Sinhala nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya also pledged support to Mr Rajapaksa.

 

Wikileaks reveals that authorities in New Delhi were seriously concerned over the “hawkish views” of UPFA candidate, Mahinda Rajapaksa, that “may squash the last glimmer of hope,” for the peace process initiated by Norway between the Ranil Wickramasinghe led United National Party (UNP) government and the LTTE.

 

India still expected Mahinda Rajapaksa will “moderate himself” after he was elected president, according to the cables.

 

‘Strengthening’ nationalism

 

Mr Kumar has also said that Mr Rajapaksa’s victory at the elections was a “wake up call for India” about the motives of the Tamil Tigers whether to return to the negotiating table.

 

The cables also reveal that the Trade Minister of the UNP government, Ravi Karunanayake, has thwarted an attempt by PM Ranil Wickramasinghe and President Chandrika Kumarathunga to share the defence portfolio.

 

The US Ambassador in his cables sent in January 2004 reveal that the PM only wanted the president to keep the title (“the brass nameplate”) and a general supervisory role in ministry of defence.

 

“If the PM is willing to give her something, he may get a deal,” the cable said.

 

“If he follows the advice of hardliners like Ravi K. and insists on the entire package for himself, the result will almost certainly be continued deadlock and eventually elections -- which will solve nothing and probably exacerbate the situation by resulting in a strengthened JVP and pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance.” BBC reports.