Rama Krishna Sangem
Newly elected Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 55, a Marxist Leninist, maybe ideologically close to China, but by heart is closer to India. Theoretically, his leanings are of the Leftist and thereby align with China. But, in practice, a majority of Sri Lankans believe that Chinese international assistance all these years has ruined their country and that India is a trusted ally for them.
Being the leader of National People’s Power (NPP) which won the presidential election and of which Dissanayake’s earlier political outfit Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna was a part, he cannot be ignorant to the feelings of people. He visited the country earlier this year on New Delhi’s invitation and later expressed interest in replicating certain socio-economic success stories from here in the island nation.
Dissanayake was hosted by India earlier this year. During his trip, Dissanayake and his team visited the Unique Identification Authority of India’s centre in Delhi and dairy brand Amul’s facilities in Gujarat. He also met external affairs minister S Jaishankar, the then foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and national security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. Doval met him again recently during his trip to the island nation.
Lauded India
On his return to Colombo, Dissanayake is said to have lauded India’s role in addressing the economic crisis of 2022. It is understood that he may want to replicate Amul dairy group’s strategy in Sri Lanka.
In an interview following his India visit, Dissanayake said Sri Lanka and India had long-standing bilateral and diplomatic relations and his party’s intention is to strengthen the ties.
“We are heavily reliant on medicines imported from India, and during the last economic crisis, survival was impossible without the food aid provided by India. Even though we may possess independent capabilities, strong international relations, particularly with India, are indispensable in navigating the current crisis,” he said. “While this may not align with our preferences, it reflects the harsh reality, compelling us to leverage India’s friendship to overcome this crisis.”
We can only hope that Dissanayake would bring semblance to Sri Lanka’s economy and polity which has been missing for several years.
