An Indo Sri Lanka land link will be economically beneficial to Sri Lanka to have cheaper and quicker access to the world’s fifth largest economy, leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), which is an ally of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), said yesterday.
“We must agree to it but with a condition that Sri Lanka shall obtain “most favored nation” treatment while by-passing all current trade agreements with India, said TPA leader and Member of Parliament Mano Ganesan. “Sri Lankan products for the Indian market shall obtain “tax free status” similar to the GSP Plus,” he added. “India is booming. We must use our geographical location, the very close proximity to India, to get the best out of it.
Our manufacturers should be able to reach the most sought after powered middle class consumer market, especially of southern India. I have discussed such proposals with President Wickremesinghe when he was our Prime Minister in the previous government.
Later and now with Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa and Indian High Commisisoner Bagley. Only those “frog in the well’ phobia jokers will oppose this while creating stories of bogus “dangers”. We are an island but there are hundreds of countries with common borders and some are even land locked, like Afghanistan and Nepal,” he also said.
“The use of the Indian Rupee is a secondary matter. We already use foreign currencies unofficially and officially too,” Ganesan further stressed.