The Hindu : International : India lauds Rajapaksa Government's resolve to build consensus on ethnic issue

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Wednesday, Sep 27, 2006
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India lauds Rajapaksa Government's resolve to build consensus on ethnic issue

B. Muralidhar Reddy

On basic principles, India and Sri Lanka share the same vision India is ready to share with Sri Lanka our "own experience of unity in diversity, plural democracy and devolution."

Sri Lanka's Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike (right) receives India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao at the 47th SWRD Bandaranaike memorial lecture in Colombo on Tuesday. — Photo: AFP

COLOMBO: India has appreciated the resolve of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government to build a consensus on the ethnic problem within a united Sri Lanka and on the basis of maximum devolution of powers.

New Delhi also offered to share its experiences with Colombo, said Union Minister for Panchayat Raj, Youth Affairs and Sports Mani Shankar Aiyar on Tuesday.

Delivering the 47th SWRD Bandaranaike memorial lecture on `South Asian politics, especially Southern Asia,' he told a packed audience that the abiding Indian commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka was an "unvarnished truth."

Quoting from the Indian High Commissioner Nirupama Rao's August 15 message, the Minister said India is ready to share with Sri Lanka our "own experience of unity in diversity, plural democracy and devolution."

Mr. Aiyar said that violence would only beget more violence and vitiate the climate for political dialogue, and the only way forward was a peaceful, negotiated settlement. "We believe that today more than ever, special efforts are required to strengthen the ceasefire and work towards a devolution package that could command consensus among the major political parties, restore ethnic harmony and expeditiously address the legitimate aspirations of all sections of Sri Lankan society," he said.

Geographical reason

The Minister quoted from the speech made in January 1950 by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at a public reception in Colombo. It read: "... it seems to be quite inevitable and right that there should be the closest relationship and cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. Geography compels it. Our history and common culture make it inevitable..."

Mr. Aiyar reminded the audience that Nehru had used the word Sri Lanka at a juncture when it was known within the country as Ceylon and it was a reflection of the level of understanding and closeness between the two countries.

The Minister said there could be differences of perception between India and Sri Lanka but on the question of basic principles they shared the same vision. "We have 2,500 years of common history and civilisation," the Minister said.

Mr. Aiyar was all praise for the work of Mrs. Rao in the consolidation of India-Sri Lanka relations and said she had specially been chosen by New Delhi as the new Ambassador of India to China. "Beijing and Islamabad are the two prestigious assignments for any Indian Foreign Service officer and it is recognition of her capabilities," he said.

Dwelling on the theme of his lecture, the Minister traced the roots of the fall of Asia from the pre-eminent position of being the vanguard of human civilisation during three centuries of colonialism and said it has all the potential to regain its lost glory.

"I have no doubt in my mind that the 21st Century belongs to Asia. Look at the economic growth in so many countries of Asia in the last few years," Mr. Aiyar said. In the context of the trials and tribulations of Europe in the last 300 years, the Minister said "narrow definition of nationalism on the basis of ethnicity" is a very dangerous concept.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Aiyar took part in the ceremonies related to the Bandaranaike's 47th death remembrance. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Minister Anura Bandaranaike, Ms. Sunethra Bandaranaike and leading members of Sri Lanka Freedom Party attended ceremonies at the Horagolla Bandaranaike Samadhi in Attanagalla, 40 km away from Colombo. Mr. Aiyar attended a dinner hosted by Mr. Rajapaksa where he exchanged views on the current situation.

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