Modi gave lesson to TNA on ‘collaborative politics’ says Devananda

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 August 2014, 23:11 GMT]
“I hope that the Tamil National Alliance leaders who recently went to meet the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would listen to his advice, which is the same as our longstanding position on the resolution to the conflict, that one should start collaborating with the Sri Lankan Government on Northern Provincial Council,” said EPDP leader Douglas Devananda, who is also a minister in Rajapaksa regime. He was addressing the audience at the re-opening ceremony of Achchuveali Industrial Estate in Jaffna on Wednesday. The industrial estate has been rehabilitated with Indian assistance. SL Presidential sibling and the ‘Economic Development’ Minister Basil Rajapaksa, High Commissioner of India Y.K. Sinha and the Chief Minister of Northern Province C.V. Wigneswaran were among the delegates who attended three ceremonial events connected to projects that have received Indian assistance.

“We will be fully prepared to welcome the TNA leadership on board if it adhered to the advice of the Indian PM,” the EPDP paramilitary leader said at Achchuveali, adding that he has been promoting I’nakka Arasiyal (collaborative politics) for decades. He was advocating participation in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s All Party Committee (APC) process.

SL Minister Basil Rajapaksa was also harping on the ‘benefits’ of ‘collaborative politics’ in his address. A political solution is only possible through collaborating with SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa. There is no use in going to the international community, he said.

Basil Rajapaksa was further claiming that the projects carried out with Indian assistance were made possible by the ‘efforts’ of the SL government in Colombo.

India had provided 175 million rupees for the rehabilitation of Achchuveali Industrial Estate. The SL Government has given only 25 million rupees.

The visiting delegates also took part in two other ceremonial events connected to projects receiving Indian assistance: the rehabilitation of Thuraiappa Stadium and the construction of a base hospital at Poonakari.

In the meantime, the acting Consul General of India S.D. Moorthy from the Consulate General Of India in Jaffna was subjected to security check and harassment by the Sri Lankan officials earlier on the day when he went to receive the High Commissioner of India, Y.K. Sinha, who came from Colombo to take part in the ceremonial events.

The officers of the occupying SL military, who were at Thuraiappa Stadium to receive the SL presidential sibling and ‘Economic Development’ Minister Basil Rajapaksa, had forced the Indian Consul General Mr Moorthy to undergo security check violating the diplomatic procedure, according to sources close to the Consulate General of India.