With China speeding up efforts to enhance its influence over Sri Lanka, India has shifted its Colombo diplomacy in top gear. As part of this diplomatic strategy, Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Gopal Bagley, without losing a minute, rushed to meet newly-elected Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, congratulating him on his party’s landslide victory in the parliamentary elections.
Bagley also apprised him of New Delhi’s plan to carry out several projects in Sri Lanka. All the plans have been given green signal by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sources said the Indian side is quite ahead of China in reaching out to Rajapaksa after he was elected prime minister of Sri Lanka. Even PM Narendra Modi was the first leader to have congratulated Rajapaksa for his electoral success. In a display of how India wants to move fast in terms of maintaining the robust relations with Colombo, PM Modi did not even wait for the final result to come out and called Rajapaksa to congratulate him. The winds in his favour were so strong that PM thought it fit to make a congratulatory call quite early.
However, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Australian PM Scot Morrison and Pakistan PM Imran Khan also called Mahinda to congratulate him. But sources say PM Modi was first to do so in what marks MEA strategy to scuttle Chinese move to tip the balance towards it.
Over the last several years, China has been flexing its diplomatic muscles to tighten its grip over Colombo which, according to its plan, tilted towards Beijing at one point of time or the other. But now the “strong and stable” government is there in Sri Lanka. So Indian diplomats believe that this strong and stable government under Rajapaksa will believe in maintain robust relationship with New Delhi without falling to prey to Chinese cheap tactics.
High Commissioner Gopal Bagley said strong mandate received by PM Rajapaksa provides a fresh opportunity for the two countries to enhance bilateral engagement, including mitigating the adverse economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. He almost dropped ample hints at how India is planning to go about as far as Sri Lanka policy is concerned.
India cannot lose sight of the fact that it was during Mahinda’s term as President Colombo tilted towards Beijing. In December 2017 Sri Lanka was forced to hand over the strategic Hambantota port to the Chinese under a 99-year lease.
The world knows strategic importance of Sri Lanka. It is strategically important for India, China, the US, Japan and Australia as they give shape to the crucial India-Pacific strategy. Therefore, New Delhi does not want to take any chance this time round. Even before China comes up with projects line-up, India has readied several projects to be implemented in Sri Lanka’s different regions.
Apart from ongoing housing projects in Sri Lanka, multi-ethnic school is also being developed there. Similarly, a cultural centre and several rainwater harvesting systems are also being developed in Jaffna. Renovation of 27 schools is underway. India plans to develop Kankesanthurai Harbour in northern Sri Lanka. Water supply projects are also on the anvil. Container terminal is proposed at Colombo port which will be in collaboration with Japan. According to sources, the Sri Lankan president has been informed of this proposal and if given a green signal it will be a big setback for China, which is eyeing port-related projects to increase its presence in the region.