India Rubbishes The Reports Of Expulsion Of RAW Official In Sir Lanka

India has rubbished the reports that the Colombo station chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was expelled during the run-up to the recently concluded presidential election in Sri Lanka, and has said that the personnel was taken back after he has completed his tenure of three years. 

Reports coming from the island nation were alleging that the Sri Lankan Government had asked the Indian authorities to recall the official as he was helping the opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena garner support various political quarters in order to win the elections; Mr Sirisena eventually won the presidential election.  

"The normal tenure of an Indian diplomat in Sri Lanka is three years and all officials who have been transferred during last year have completed that. It is a normal transfer. Do not read anything into it unless somebody stands up and says 'yes'. Using unnamed sources is just hiding behind and obscuring the truth," Spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry Syed Akbaruddin said in New Delhi.

He further added, "If somebody has proof otherwise, I would stand ready to contest that. Otherwise take my view as the last word on that."

Sirisena defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa in the closest-ever presidential election on 8 January, hence ending the 10-year rule of the civil war hero Rajapaksa.

Right after he came into power, Sirisena said that the relation with India is Sri Lanka's top priority, and New Delhi will be the first place he will be travelling as the head of the nation.

These reports of the RAW official's expulsion are coming at time when the foreign minister of Sir Lanka Mangala Samaraweera is in New Delhi and taking part in top-level meetings with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj.

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New President Of Sri Lanka Will Come To India Next Month; 15 India Fishermen To be Released

The newly elected President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena has accepted PM Modi's invitation to visit India as his first state visit as the head of the his nation. He will visit New Delhi next month. 

A political aide of the Sri Lankan President said that PM Modi invited Mr Sirisena when he called to congratulate him on his historical victory on Friday.  Rajitha Senaratne, a close political ally of Sirisena, said that the island nation is planning to release 15 Indian fishermen in its captivity in the foreseeable future.

Senaratne, while talking to the media on Saturday, said that Sri Lanka recognizes the importance of having India as its close allay.  He also compared the humble backgrounds of both Sirisena and Modi in order to emphasis that Sri Lanka gives its top priority to its relations with India. “Mr. Modi invited our President to come to India first. Mr. Sirisena told him it would be difficult this month, and that he will go next month.”  

Recently, Sri Lanka's relation with India has not been too warm as it has moved its emphasis towards China. And the huge Chinese investment in the country has made it difficult for India to become a top priority country for the island nation.

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Mahinda Rajapaksa Loses Elections, Maithripala Sirisena Is The New President Of Sri Lanka

Mahinda Rajapaksa Loses Elections, Maithripala Sirisena Is The New President Of Sri Lanka

Mahinda Rajapaksa's decade long rule seems to have come to an end as he has accepted defeat in the Presidential election, his office has announced today. He has been vanquished by his erstwhile colleague and former health minister Maithripala Sirisena.

The official statement has ensured a "smooth transition of power."



Official result will come as late as this evening, but the initial counting trend foretells that Mr Sirisena has already crossed the half way mark and is on his way to the Presidential chair.

Mr Sirisena is yet to comment on this.

Mr Rajapaksa has already vacated Temple Trees, his official residence.

Mr Sirisena was Rajapaksa's ally until November when he announced his surprise candidacy. Both the gentlemen are Sinhalese, the ethnic majority of the island nation, which has a population of 21 million.

Sirisena was supposed to get the major chunk of the minorities, but to get the top job he had to ensure a fair bit of the Sinhalese vote share.

Huge Tamil turn out played a vital role in Sirisena's victory. Turnout in many areas, such as Jaffna and Trincomalee - two of the Tamil strongholds - was more than 70%.

Rajapaksa last won the Presidency when he defeated Sarath Fonseka, who was later jailed on charges of incriminating the government in war related crimes.

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Sir Lanka Goes Into The Most Closely Fought Election In Years

Mahinda Rajapaksa is facing a stiff competition from Maithripala Sirisena, one of his former allies, in the general election that has been announced two years before time. Mr Rajapaksa is in the office since 2005.

Mr Rajapaksa road on a wave of popularity when the war with the LTTE ended on a triumphant note; but the fame did not last long and now a huge chunk of voters accuses him of cronyism. Many of the country's most powerful and lucrative posts are occupied by him kinsmen; many accuse him of running the country like a family business.

His opposition, Sirisena seems to have capitalized on this premises and succeeded in getting a big chunk of Sinhalese vote share on his side. To make the scene worse, Sirisena is expected to win the major part of the ethnic minority vote share that constitute 30% of the total population.  

But the fact cannot be denied that Rajapaksa is still the most famous politician in the country right now, at least in the Sinhalese community.

After exercising his franchise today, he said, “We will have a resounding victory. That is very clear. From tomorrow, we will start implementing our manifesto."

The pooling booths were opened at 7 in the morning, and the results will come out on Friday.   

It should be noted that Sri Lanka is a country divided on the ethnic line and the war between the Prabhakaran led LTTE and the Sri Lanka Army with government backing, rendered thousands dead and millions displaced. The Army finally crushed the LTTE in the 2009, and Mahinda Rajapaksa basked in the victorious glory.

The West and the US have imposed economic sanctions on the country as they are accusing Mahinda Rajapaksa administration of serious war crimes. 

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