India to discuss Sri Lanka reconciliation with Rajapaksa
June 7, 2010 09:38 pm
On the agenda of the official discussion will be how and what kind of plans Rajapaksa has in his mind to give the Tamil and Muslim minorities self-governance they can be proud of.
Since the time he became president in November 2005, Rajapaksa has repeatedly promised to devolve powers to the minorities.
But he and his aides have also argued that he needed to be political secure to unleash devolution that would be acceptable to the Sinhalese majority while also pleasing the Tamils and Tamil-speaking Muslims.
After militarily crushing the Tamil Tigers in May 2009,
Rajapaksa scored decisive wins in the presidential and parliamentary elections
in January and April this year, becoming one of the most powerful presidents in
Now, analysts and policy makers say, Rajapaksa needs to deliver.
Rajapaksa will review a military guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to kick-start a busy Wednesday when he will lay a wreath at the Raj Ghat and follow it up with a meeting with his Indian counterpart Pratibha Patil and wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
After some private engagements, Rajapaksa returns to
Manmohan Singh, who first became prime minister in 2004, has
closely followed the developments in
The Indian prime minister is aware of the complexities in
On its part, India has been involved heavily in the reconstruction of Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Provinces, the war theatre, and the resettlement of those worst affected by the conflict that bled the country for over a quarter century.
With economic ties booming and Indian tourists flocking to
Among other things,
It wants to lay railway lines in the north, ensure railway
rolling stock, set up a large cultural centre in
It wants to give seeds to farmers in the north and east besides pre-fabricated houses on a massive scale.
The sweeping and comprehensive rehabilitation package, mostly done without much fanfare, totals a whopping Rs.2,300 crore, including a $413 million Line of Credit. And more is in the offing.
“He won’t say he won’t do anything,” Sahadevan told IANS. “But
his definition of political reforms is radically different from what others
expect from him. It is time
“But I doubt if that will happen. We seem to be hesitant,” he said. “And Mahinda Rajapaksa increasingly looks like a monarch.” – (IANS)