India summons Sri Lanka envoy over the recent article on Sri Lankan defence ministry website

South Block is learnt to have conveyed MPs’ “anger and concern” to the envoy. The Sri Lankans had apologised over this on Friday and removed the article from the website.

The Union government was forced into this action Monday after it appeared satisfied with the apology Friday after Tamil parties pushed it into a corner and demanded the envoy be summoned.

Sudharshan Seneviratne is Sri Lanka’s new High Commissioner, and presented his credentials to President Pranab Mukherjee only last week.

Earlier in the day faced with strident protests in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that the government condemns what has happened in the strongest of terms and that the Sri Lankan envoy would be summoned.

Her response came after AIADMK’s M. Thambidurai raised the issue in Lok Sabha soon after the lunch break to the article that had appeared on the website titled, “How meaningful are Jayalalithaa’s love letters to Narendra Modi.”

Mr Thamibidurai demanded that the Lankan envoy be summoned while noting that it was a “condemnable act.”

Seeking that a resolution be brought in the House on the matter, Mr Thamibidurai further asked, “How can the Sri Lankan government interfere in our sovereignty by raising an issue of our constitutional authorities writing letters.”