Visiting Indian Vice President meets Tamil Leaders in Colombo

Visiting Vice President of India CP Radhakrishnan on Sunday met leaders of political parties in the North and East and Indian Origin Tamil parties during his visit to Sri Lanka, reinforcing India’s commitment to the welfare of the Tamil community in the island.

The meeting, held during the Vice President’s official visit to Sri Lanka, served as a platform for regional leaders to express their gratitude for India’s swift and substantial humanitarian interventions over recent months, according to Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India.

A central theme of the discussion was the impact of India’s $450 million rehabilitation and relief package, dispatched in the wake of the devastating Cyclone Ditwah.

“They thanked Government of India’s efforts for the USD 450 mn rehabilitation and relief package post Cyclone Ditwah as well as other relief measures overtime,” Jaiswal posted on X (formally Twitter).

Leaders of Tamil political parties had lauded the “Neighbour First” policy, noting that Indian aid was instrumental in stabilising communities hit hardest by the storm.

The Vice President’s meeting is seen as a strategic affirmation of India’s role as a “first responder” in the region and its continued interest in the 13th Amendment and the political devolution process.

The visit underscores a period of intensified cooperation between New Delhi and Colombo. The MEA also confirmed that India will continue to monitor the progress of rehabilitation efforts to ensure the $450 million package effectively reaches the grassroots level, aiding in the total recovery of the cyclone-affected provinces.

Earlier, Vice President Radhakrishnan, who is on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, met Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa.

Discussions were held on deepening the bilateral partnership, along with strengthening the people-to-people ties between the countries.

In a series of posts on X, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya hosted the Vice President Radhakrishnan.”Recalling the shared civilizational heritage between the two countries, the leaders discussed the importance of further strengthening the bilateral ties including people-to-people bonds”, he added.

Vice President Radhakrishnan on Sunday also called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

Jaiswal said in a post on X that the leaders held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted India -Sri Lanka ties, rooted in shared history and cultural values.

According to the MEA, the two-day visit includes meetings with Sri Lanka’s top leadership and engagements with the Indian-origin Tamil community.

The visit is part of India’s broader diplomatic outreach under its Neighbourhood First policy.

According to Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha, the Vice President will also engage directly with communities in Nuwara Eliya, where a large section of the Indian-origin Tamil community resides. There, he will visit settlements developed under India’s Housing Project Phase III, which has already constructed 4,000 houses, with an additional 10,000 currently underway.

(With Agencies inputs)