NEW DELHI: The risk of antagonising the Tamils in India and the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka is possibly the reasons for India not granting permission to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to land in the country before he fled to the Male and also now, when he is looking for a safe haven after his two weeks of stay gets over in Singapore.
“The geopolitics of the region doesn’t make it prudent for India to let Gotabaya in. Since India is the closest neighbour and friend of Sri Lanka, there is every chance of him having approached the country. But the reasons for ignoring the request are primarily due to the fact that India doesn’t want to get involved in any controversy regarding him. Neither the Tamils nor the Sinhalese in his country favour him,’’ according to an expert on Indo-Sri Lanka relations.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) didn’t respond to queries regarding this. There has been speculation on whether Gotabaya will head to Saudi Arabia after his stay in Singapore gets over. These rumours were fuelled when he boarded a Saudia Airlines flight to reach Singapore as some expected him to head to Jeddah.
Meanwhile, Gotabaya officially submitted his resignation from Presidency on Saturday. His resignation letter was read out to lawmakers during the parliament session. Sri Lanka’s Parliament held a special 13-minute session on Saturday to kick-start the process to elect a new president, with four contenders, including acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe joining the race to head the next government.
During the session, Dhammika Dassanayake, Secretary General of Parliament, announced the vacancy for the post of president after the resignation Rajapaksa. He informed the House that nominations for Presidency should be submitted to him on July 19.