New Delhi: Sri Lanka on Wednesday denied Colombo media reports that President Maithripala Sirisena had accused an Indian intelligence agency of being involved in a plot to assassinate him, with President Sirisena calling up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally deny these reports. President Sirisena told Mr Modi that the “mischievous and mala fide reports were utterly baseless and false, and seemed intended to create a misunderstanding between the two leaders as well as damage the cordial relations between the two friendly neighbours”.
Speculation is rife in Sri Lanka of a turf war between its President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who incidentally will begin a three-day visit to New Delhi on Thursday.
The external affairs ministry in New Delhi said President Sirisena also told Mr Modi in the telephone call that he regards Mr Modi as a “true friend of Sri Lanka, as also a close personal friend”, emphasising that he “greatly valued the mutually beneficial ties between India and Sri Lanka, and remained steadfast to work with the Prime Minister for further strengthening them”.
It said Mr Modi “appreciated the prompt steps taken by the (Sri Lankan) President and his government to firmly refute the malicious reports by publicly clarifying matters”.
But what President Sirisena initially said has become the subject of much speculation in Sri Lanka. Interestingly, the denial of the media reports by the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said President Sirisena’s remarks had been taken “out of context”. According to some media reports from Sri Lanka, Cabinet spokesman and minister Rajitha Senaratne said President Sirisena did not say the (Indian) Research and Analysis Wing was allegedly involved in a plot to assassinate him and the President at the Cabinet meeting had actually said attempts were being made to implicate RAW in the alleged plot to assassinate him and damage India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will, incidentally, hold talks with Mr Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday, in which the entire gamut of India-Sri Lankan ties will be discussed.
