Greater devolution of powers to the provinces and amicable resolution of the Tamil grievances are pivotal to the long-term stability of the region. These were the words of veteran Indian foreign policy expert, Dr. Arvind Gupta, at a lecture he delivered on Wednesday when he was asked about the “Indian obsession” with the 13th Amendment. This was also perhaps the only time that the director general of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi gave into the temptations of realpolitik in an otherwise measured lecture on “Trends in Indian Foreign Policy” at Colombo. Without delving into specifics, I’ll just say cooperation should continue,” said Dr. Gupta, in reply to a question about the seemingly intrusive nature of India on the issue of granting more autonomy to Tamil-majority areas. “We should keep in mind the public sentiments, of not only the Sir Lankans but people in India. All stakeholders should be taken on board while taking such decisions we cannot deny that public and media discourse is crucial in formulating foreign policy,” he said.