Category: News

NPP’s India visit causes excitement in political circles

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Hi guys! How are you doing, exhorted United States Ambassador Julie Chung as she walked towards a group of MPs at the tea party hosted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe last Wednesday. It came at the end of a policy statement he delivered after the ceremonial opening of Parliament.

Turning to onetime minister, Patali Champika Ranawaka, she declared, “I see from the media that you are going to be a presidential candidate.” The newly formed United Republic Front (URF) leader, now preparing for a broad front to support his candidature, smiled. He appeared non-committal. Another parliamentarian quickly shot a question before the US envoy could move over towards another group. “JVP leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake is in India. Are there any Indo-Pacific issues linked to the visit,” he asked. “No, no,” she hurriedly responded.

Ambassador Chung, who represents a nation that once was the first to put a man on the moon, also used the MPs as a sounding board. She asked whether anyone there had climbed Adam’s Peak or Sri Pada. Then she proudly boasted that she had walked to the top in just two and a half hours last month. From her schooldays, she swaggered, she has done a lot of hiking.

For the group of MPs, even before the US envoy walked in to say hello, the talking point had been the visit to India of a delegation from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP). The news of the visit and meetings with key players in the Indian government had, without doubt, caused concerns to both those in the government and the opposition. They manifested themselves in different forms. Those in the government were made aware in Colombo of the visit as a matter of courtesy. Besides, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, Ms Kshenuka Seneviratne, received a hint during a meeting with National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval. That was days before the NPP delegation arrived in New Delhi.

Thushara Indunil, a parliamentarian from the main opposition, suggested that it was the outcome of a flawed survey which had predicted an overwhelming vote count for NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. There is some validity in his argument over a faulty survey. As he claimed, it was based on a sample of 500 people and carried out by an agency whose credentials are in question. However, to assume or argue that a country like India would be guided by such a trivial matter is not only ridiculous but also reflects how ill-informed those in the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) are. Understandably, touted as a potential winner at an election, either presidential or parliamentary, it is a weak-kneed SJB response.

A more hurting accusation against the JVP has been its onetime policy of being opposed to Indian expansionism. This week, National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa was to highlight the issue. Of course, he was himself a member of the JVP and advocated anti-Indian sentiments as a firebrand then. I posed this question to Anura Kumara Dissanayake during an interview in December, last year. He replied, “We are a sovereign and independent country. Therefore, we have the acceptance and the right. That is the principle. But there is a difference between the principle and the reality. Whether we like it or not there is geopolitical competition. There is competition in trade, technology etc. In Sri Lanka, we are not part of that competition. We are not competitors of India, China, Russia, or Europe. They have the competition. Our neighbouur is in the geopolitical situation. That is the reality. Our country’s decisions favour or disfavour India. Therefore, in our foreign policy we cannot ignore India.”

With over eight months for the scheduled presidential elections, electoral surveys that are credible are yet to surface. Hence, one could safely assume that the international recognition or acknowledgement the NPP has received so far, is not based on surveys though it is possible such ones would have been carried out by them. They have already visited the United States and China. Yet, one does not require punditry at the highest levels to observe the changing political landscape for the JVP led NPP.

There are critical areas and the lack of checks and balances. That the NPP is emerging as a strong political force has sent shockwaves to different quarters. They are reminded of the aftermath of the protests two years ago and the attacks on the residences of government parliamentarians and their supporters. The pattern of attacks, it came to light, is the result of an organizational structure that was in place to deal with their rivals. Groups in the opposition feel there could be a repeat of such action. At least one opposition party has been fear-driven at the highest levels to engage in a new revival effort.

This notwithstanding, there are many developments that are worth evaluating. First is how the JVP is morphing itself as the National People’s Power by broad-basing the party structure to encompass different professions. That has included academics in universities in large numbers. A significant step in this regard is the formation of bodies representing retired personnel of the security forces including top officers on a district basis, a factor which was not existent before. They are known to be networking with those who are now serving. Another is a close study of the turnout of crowds for its public rallies. An example would be the one in Matara which had a record turnout. A counterargument to this is the claim that the JVP is known for mustering crowds, but they do not translate into votes at an election. The turnouts at May Day rallies are being cited as an example. However, there appears to be a distinct difference with the formation of the National People’s Power. The crowds do not represent only the youth as in May Day events. It has gone beyond. Contrary to popular belief, funds have not been a problem for the NPP.

Now to the India visit. Formally, the invitation came from the Indian Council for Foreign Cultural Relations (ICFCR), an Indian Government institution that functions under the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. The official delegation on both sides were made up as follows: Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka and leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and NPP, Vijitha Herath, Member of Parliament, JVP, Dr Nihal Abeysinghe, General Secretary of the National People’s Power, Professor Anil Jayantha, Member of the Economic Council of the National People’s Power, Shri Eldos Mathew Punnoose, Counsellor, High Commission of India, Colombo, Abhay Kumar, Deputy Director, ICFCR, Mahinder Segal, Programme Director, ICCR, Ram Kumar, an officer from the Indian Ocean Region and Constantino Xavier, Academician.

The ICFCR’s focus is on connectivity programmes, through visitor programmes targeting official/technical-level government delegations visiting India for identified programmes; and provision of educational scholarships at undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. It has come to light that Sri Lanka has underutilised the 200 scholarship slots allocated. The reasons outlined are that the students prefer to obtain degrees from western countries; at the same time top notch Indian universities find it difficult to absorb scholarship holders given the high demand within India. It was also felt that the availability which is announced by the Education Ministry through gazette notification did not provide adequate publicity.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake had an hour-long meeting with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Thereafter, he met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra. The JVP/NPP leader also met with officials of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a think tank affiliated to the Ministry of External Affairs. In the state of Gujarat, Dissanayake and members of his delegation visited an Amul milk complex in Ahmedabad. It is relevant to note that the JVP/NPP leader strongly criticized the Amul project in Sri Lanka. He later visited Tiruvananthapuram in the State of Kerala before returning to Colombo last night.

Speaking on the telephone to the Sunday Times from the southern Indian city of Tiruvananthapuram, Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, “My talks with External Affairs Minister, Shri Jaishankar was very useful and rewarding. We have changed. He acknowledged that; so, has India. We are not competitors, but India is. We are mindful of India’s concerns including its security. These factors were also discussed with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.”

Asked how his talks went with those at Amul Dairy, Dissanayake declined details except to say we pitched our position strongly. However, other sources said that Dissanayake explained the NPP position that documents and details relating to the Sri Lanka government’s deal with Amul have remained a secret and have not been tabled in Parliament. He urged that the transactions should be transparent and that was why his party has been raising issues over the matter.

In a separate development, Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the Prime Minister, will pay a four-day visit to New Delhi beginning February 12. He is to lead a delegation for talks on collaboration between the government and India’s National Centre of Good Governance.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa was also in India this week. On Friday, he visited the newly built controversial Ram Mandir (Ram Temple) in Ayodhya in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. A special pooja was held for him. Later, he also had a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Hindus believe that Ayodhya is the mythical birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hindiusm.

The NFF team’s visit to India came in a week when President Ranil Wickremesinghe last Wednesday ceremonially opened Parliament, which was prorogued at midnight on January 27. The 11-page address, surprisingly enough, did not make any reference to the presidential election which is constitutionally due this year. More so when the President had chosen to skip the address to the nation during the Independence Day celebrations on February 4. So much so, Samagi Jana Balavegaya’s Lakshman Kiriella, the Chief Opposition Whip, suggested at a news conference that the presidential elections could be put off at the eleventh hour. That, however, is not a likely prospect, for President Wickremesinghe is going ahead with plans.

Posted in Uncategorized

Adani Group may run three Sri Lankan airports

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Adani Group is negotiating with Sri Lankan authorities to manage three airports in the island nation, including its premier international gateway, Bandarnaike International Airport in Colombo.

Sri Lanka’s minister for tourism, land, sports, and youth affairs, Harin Fernando, said on Friday that modalities are being discussed between the two sides and could involve management contracts as well.

Other airports being offered are Ratmalana Airport in Colombo and Mattala Airport, the latter earning the tag of the world’s emptiest international airport seven years ago.

“There are plans to work with Adani Group for the management of airports,” Fernando told businessline on the sidelines of the OTM travel show in Mumbai.

The plan to rope in a private partner to manage airports comes amid a resurgence in tourism. Foreign tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka doubled to 1.48 million in 2023 on a year-on-year basis. This, however, has put a strain on the country’s airport infrastructure. It is hoped that a private partner would help in expanding the facilities and improving the passenger experience.

The Adani Group did not respond to an email query on the topic.

First foray

If the deal goes through, it could be Adani Group’s first overseas aviation foray. In Sri Lanka, it is already present in ports and the renewable energy sector. Last November, the group secured $553 million funding from the US International Development Finance Corporation for its west container terminal project in Colombo. The US backing was widely viewed as a move to curb Chinese influence in the region.

The Adani Group currently has a portfolio of eight airports (including the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport) in the country, serving 23 per cent of India’s passenger base.

“We are happy with tourism growth. In January, we received 208,000 tourists, and in the first seven days of February, we had 60,000 tourists. Our numbers are trending well, and forward bookings are looking great,” Fernando said. India is the largest source market for the country, accounting for 37 per cent of all arrivals in CY 2023. The Sri Lankan government is also targeting wealthy Indians to park their yachts at their marinas as a part of its marine tourism policy.

“We are targeting 2.3 million tourists in 2024, and we are quite hopeful we will reach the target. By 2030, we hope to attract four million visitors. That’s why we have to go for massive development projects,” he remarked.

New investments

Fernando said new investments are being made in the hospitality sector, and the government is also framing a homestay policy. While ITC is launching its maiden international hotel in Colombo, international brands such as IHG and Ritz Carlton are also developing properties in Sri Lanka.

“The Sri Lankan economy has bounced back. Our treasury was zero when we came to power. Now we have reserves of $4.4 billion. We are a beautiful country with so much potential. If we have five proper years of financial discipline, Sri Lanka will grow. Our government believes in public-private partnerships, and that is the way forward. Indians have done it very well,” he added.

From desertions to contract-killing, where are the armed forces heading? By N Sathiya Moorthy

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Reports that serving personnel of the armed forces are taking to contract-killing, that too during duty-hours to create an alibi for themselves, should shock the nation more than any previous threats to democracy, the failed coup-bid of the sixties and CDS Shavendra Silva defying President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the height of the Arargalaya protests as recently as the year before last. Why, even the continuing economic crisis pales into comparative insignificance if someone understands the seriousness and significance of what passes for increasing indiscipline in the nation’s armed forces.

During the war years, desertions bothered the armed forces. It was not only over the number of trained men lost in the process. It also smacked of indiscipline of the highest order, and reflected on the kind of lack-of-morale that could have spelt doom in other circumstances. It also owed to past experience when in earlier instances unit commanders had surrendered to the LTTE with high motivation – and with that valuable imported armoury that the terror-group could happily do with.

Yes, such desertions may have also owed to the then army commander Sarath Fonseka, since created the nation’s first and only Field Marshal, post-war, going on a massive recruitment-spree across the South. Militarily, it served the tested doctrine that to fight insurgencies, security forces should have a 10:1 upper-hand, not just a few hundreds or even thousands. On the socio-political front, massive recruitments also meant jobs for the unemployed youth in Sinhala South and fixed family incomes with monthly rations, were expected to keep national morale commitment to the war on a higher plane than earlier.

Yet, desertions continued. Even now, every year or two, there are calls for deserters to surrender. The response, at best, has been mixed, though there is no fear of annihilation in the war that was successfully fought out some 15 years back.

Gun-for-hire

In the closing months of the war and more so afterwards, there used to be internal discussions if LTTE deserters and sleeper-cells as ordered by their destroyed command, would become gun-for-hire, both inside the country and more so, outside, especially in Europe and elsewhere. Most LTTE’s ‘military men’ went about in groups and answered to a unit commander of whatever kind, and many of their shocking killings were carried out by suicide-bombers. Yet, there was the case of the sharp-shooter killing of Lakshman Kadirgamar in his swimming pool, very late in the evening. That did leave a mark.

Western diplomats, both positioned in Colombo, and visiting from their home-office, and also academics and media persons had these questions somewhere in the back of their mind. Those who had the occasion and opportunity to quiz those in the know did ask them, but themselves did not have any ideas to offer.

The same applied to deserters from the armed forces during those weeks and months. Would their desertion be seen as unaccounted deaths at the LTTE’s hands that the government wanted to hide? Would they turn out to be rogues in the immediate society with their past training and prevailing mood of one-upmanship compared to his neighbour? Or, would they take to contract-killing, either in groups or individually, when hard-pressed for cash?

Wanton surrender

The question how many of the deserters had smuggled out their service weapons was also being sought and analysed inside the command but little is known of the outcomes of such studies. So was the report of the one-man/one-woman study commissioned by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on assuming office in 2005, about the possibility of army commanders indulging in ‘wanton surrender’ of large armouries to the LTTE, and the quid pro quo involved in such ‘deals’.

In comparison, at least some details of the three-man probe into CDS Shavendra Silva and the commands down the line disrespecting President Gota, their Supreme Commander, and also Defence Secretary, Kamal Gunaratne, elevated as full General long after he had quit the Services, got leaked in the media. But the incumbent government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe is yet to announce its decision / action on the report.

White van era but…

At least the current media reports do not indicate if there is a pattern to the identities of those military personnel taking to contract-killing — whether they are from the army, navy or air force, or from all three. Likewise, if the police investigations into the matter, which the news report relies on, also talks about a pattern in terms of particular units, regiments or even native villages of those involved.

In the normal course, any keen observer would have questioned (at least to himself) how automatic rifles like AK-47 and AK-56 were used in the killing of individuals who were not any big name in politics or society, though maybe somebody at the lower/local level. To think that a group of guys holding those weapons would arrive in a vehicle and kill unarmed men, this time totalling five, in broad-daylight, smacks of the forgotten ‘white van’ era. But no one is anymore referring to the LTTE or the military intelligence in the current phase.

It only meant that the men with guns were keen to be seen as over-powering by their prospective victims and as deliverers by those who hired them. A professional killer would have been discreet and an amateur would still want to escape unless it was a spur-of-the-moment instance, where he would still have ‘self-defence’ and ‘grave provocation’ as defence if caught and produced before the courts.

This one thus sounded like a different kettle of fish. The police investigations, as reported, explains a lot. It also extends to the question of the armed troops on duty looking the other way when the homes and businesses of over 80 dignitaries starting with then President Gota, PM Ranil, now President, and a host of Rajapaksas and their party MPs and other leaders, were burnt down in precision-coordination during the Argalaya.

Today, in the run-up to the President’s poll, and a possible parliamentary election, before or after, the question is if the current gun-culture is a part of some kind of a messaging, to the political class, people at large or both. To the politicians, it’s a message for them to beware and not go high up. To the people, it’s about the continuing failure of the Law & Order machinery under the current dispensation. To both, it is a message that democracy is facing unprecedented and unprovoked challenges of a different kind, like the Aragalaya before it – or, is it?

And all of it only months after the government claimed that there was a great conspiracy to upset the apple-cart, for which armed training was given and taken in a resort, somewhere inside the country. The November deadline has come and gone, only that no one told you if it was circa 2023 or 2024!

(The writer is a Chennai-based Policy Analyst and Political Commentator. Email: sathiyam54@nsathiyamoorthy.com)

US Ambassador and Sri Lankan Speaker Emphasize Democratic Governance in High-level Meeting

Posted on | by TELO Admin

US Ambassador Julie Chung held a diplomatic meeting with Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, emphasizing the legislature’s crucial role in democratic administration.

The meeting’s wide-ranging focus highlighted the importance of legislative institutions as cornerstones of democratic ideals. Speaker Abeywardena and Ambassador Chung discussed how crucial it is to promote inclusive engagement throughout the legislative process, highlighting the necessity of widespread involvement to guarantee efficient government.

The conversation between the Speaker of Parliament and the US Ambassador signals a common dedication to democratic principles and cooperative decision-making procedures.

Sri Lanka mulls extension of visa-free access to Indian tourists

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Sri Lanka is likely to extend visa exemption status for India after March to keep attracting travellers from the country and encourage repeat visits, Tourism and Lands, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Harin Fernando said on Thursday.

“India is our number one source market and tourists from India helped our country on its path of recovery from the recent crisis we faced,” Fernando said in a session at OTM 2024.

Sri Lanka facilitated visa-free entry for Indian travellers from December 2023 to March. “We are working on extending it beyond March. We want to make Sri Lanka an easily accessible destination for Indians, who can just walk into our country for a hassle free holiday,” he said.

By offering visa exemption to Indians, Sri Lanka will attract more footfalls, especially those who make last-minute plans and find visa process a hindrance, he said.

“In the time of more options, we have to ease the travel process to encourage more tourists from India and repeat footfalls,” he added.

Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Marketing, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Made Ayu Marthini said the country had given visa-free status to 169 countries, but this was suspended due to the pandemic.

“However, we have begun opening visa exemptions for a few countries. However, we are working on extending this and India is on the top of the list of countries. I hope we will be able to grant India visa status,” she added.

India is the number two source for Bali, and for overall footfalls of the country, India is number six and with such a huge population, it provides a large market with great potential, she added.

The 3-day OTM has more than 1,600 exhibitors participating from 60 countries and 30 Indian states and Union Territories connecting with over 35,000 industry professionals and buyers.

Posted in Uncategorized

Wigneswaran hints at supporting Ranil

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V Wigneswaran hinted at the possibility of him extending support to President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Speaking to reporters, Wigneswaran said that of the current leaders Wickremesinghe seems the only one who can work with the Tamils.

He also said that the President had briefly spoken to him in Parliament, Wednesday, but refused to divulge the details.

Wigneswaran also criticized the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) for walking out of Parliament when the President was speaking.

He said that protesting will not solve the issue at hand.

The fifth session of the 9th Parliament was ceremonially declared open, Wednesday, by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The SJB walked out of Parliament and boycotted the President’s speech.

Posted in Uncategorized

Sri Lanka JVP’s official visit triggers political, religious leaders to raise anti-Indian sentiment

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The visit of Sri Lanka’s Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader to India on an official invitation has led to a new wave of anti-Indian sentiment with political and religious leaders raising concerns over the aim of the New Delhi ahead of the island nation’s presidential elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indian government in an unprecedented invited JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka for a five-day official visit which included meetings with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan among many others.

The JVP was involved in two armed uprisings against the Sri Lankan government in 1971 and 1987-89. The motive for both uprisings was to establish a socialist state. However, both insurgencies were defeated with annihilation of Marxists youth.

The party, which earlier had trained militants, is currently led by 55-year-old Dissanayaka who has been in the parliament for more than 23 years and once held cabinet minister portfolios for 14 months in 2004/5 period.

The JVP has strongly protested an Indian agreement with Sri Lanka and many Indian projects citing they are part of Indian expansionism and will lead to deprive opportunity for Sri Lankans.

“We feel there is some deal,” Walahahengunawewe Dhammaratana Thera, Chief Incumbent of Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya told reporters on Wednesday.

“We ask Anura (JVP leader) if you questioned the Indian leaders over Sri Lanka being included in the Indian map as part of India, if you spoke against the power deals violating Sri Lanka’s sovereignty,” he questioned.

The JVP-led protests have halted many Indian investments in Sri Lanka while it has questioned India after securing lands, not using all the oil tanks in Sri Lanka’s strategic Trincomalee tanks farm which was once planned to be the oil hub of South Asia with the Indian help.

India has been increasingly investing in Sri Lanka’s energy sector. It has proposed direct oil and gas pipeline connectivity between the two countries while buying excess electricity if generated with the Indian renewable energy projects in Sri Lanka.

“What is the stance your party took over India keeping Trincomalee oil tanks?” Dhammaratana Thera questioned the JVP leader.

“What is the deal with Ajih Delol who made Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Indian secret service puppets? Did you take or give an election bribe of $10 million from Indian businessmen? What did you speak about Adani’s renewable energy project which is looting? What is the role played by the US ambassador on getting Indian money or backing for your next election?”

AHEAD OF POLLS

Anura Kumara Dissanayaka’s visit comes as Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has signaled to hold presidential polls in October this year and Parliamentary polls in early 2025.

Though the island nation does not have accurate surveys on the popularity of political parties, informal surveys show people may elect a JVP-led government. The JVP has been a populour party in the past Sri Lankan elections as well, but it failed to capitalize it to win the poll, analysts say.

Anil Hewaththa Neththikumara, a ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna trade unionist at the state-run Sri Lanka Telecom said the Indian invitation is ahead of a possible Indian deal with Sri Lanka Telecom.

Sri Lanka has chosen Jio Platforms Ltd of India and Gortune International Investment Holding Ltd of Amsterdam as the two pre-qualified bidders for Sri Lanka Telecom under the State Owned Enterprises Structuring programme.

“All know that JVP is the radical outfit which organizes protest campaigns. An Indian firm is going to buy the Sri Lanka Telecom in the near future and this is just to make sure there is consensus over the deal and there are protests against that,” Neththikumara told reporters on Wednesday.

Analysts say Sri Lanka’s nationalist and leftist politicians have used anti-Indian sentiment to win votes when they face elections. Some of such moves have strained diplomatic relations with India in the past.
However, India helped when the island nation faced its worst ever economic crisis with a sovereign debt default in 2022.

Nationalist politician Udaya Gammanpila, leader of Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, welcomed the JVP move.

“JVP banned all Indian products except the Buddhism in the past. We appreciate the JVP’s change,” he said.

Wimal Weerawansa, another nationalist politician and leader of a JVP-breakaway party said the latest Indian invitation to the Marxist party is to sign the Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA) deal which is opposed by the majority of Sri Lankans. “As per information we have got, India is to sign an ETCA deal with Sri Lanka very soon. ETCA means opening both the Sri Lankan trade and labour market to India. That means depriving the opportunity for Sri Lankans,” Weerawansa told reporters.

“When they (India) want to make this (country) as a colony, they want to control all the political parties like kittens,” he said.

“I am not talking only about Anura Kumara Dissanayaka’s invitation. The next will be the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the main opposition. What India wants is to give is a leg massage and keep (Sri Lanka) people happy and say don’t interfere on what they do.”

Posted in Uncategorized

Deadline to submit electoral register Feb 29th

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The Election Commission has issued a reminder to complete registration for the 2024 electoral register without delay.

Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake said the relevant registration process should be completed before the 29th of February.

He said it is mandatory to include information of all family members or people staying at the residence over the age of 18 years, in the electoral register received at the relevant residence.

Accordingly, all persons who have not changed their permanent residence, who have changed their residence due to marriage, education or any other reason should be registered in the electoral register.

Ratnayake said the names of family members who are overseas should also be included in the electoral register, regardless of whether or not they can vote.

SJB vies for Indian favor ahead of Presidential Elections following NPP move

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Hot on the heels of the National People’s Power (NPP) undertaking a familiarization tour of India with interactions with the top Indian officials, the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has sought a similar opportunity from India, Daily Mirror learns.

The NPP led by its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake is currently in India on a five –day tour. The NPP leaders have already held talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr.S.Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan.

They were supposed to meet Chief Minister of Gujarat Bupendra Patel yesterday. Afterwards, they were expected to arrive in Kerala.

Sensing the political mileage from such engagements in India for a party like the NPP ahead of the presidential election, the SJB has sought a similar visit. According to an informed source, India has responded favourably to the request.

The rivalry between the SJB and the NPP is visible, with both parties vying to outmaneuver each other at every turn. The SJB, in particular, has expressed concern over why the NPP was granted the opportunity to engage with Indian officials first.

As the presidential election draws nearer, the intensity of political maneuvering and strategic alliances is expected to escalate, with both the NPP and the SJB leaving no stone unturned in their quest for victory.

Posted in Uncategorized

CBK Back in Politics: Leads Broad Alliance for Upcoming Elections

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was appointed as the head of the Podujana Eksatha Peramuna’s (PA) leadership council.

The decision, announced by SLFP media spokesperson Thisara Gunasinghe, follows an executive council meeting held to amend the Podujana Eksatha Peramuna’s constitution on Tuesday (6).

The constitution of the Podujana Eksath Peramuna or the People’s Alliance was amended, allowing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to contest the upcoming elections as a broader alliance under the symbol of the Chair.

The SLFP will hold a significant role within the Podujana Eksatha Peramuna, securing 25% representation on the leadership board and 50% power in the working committee under the amended constitution.

Gunasinghe further announced plans to appoint new office bearers for the Podujana Eksatha Peramuna.

A new party secretary will be selected on the 22nd of February.