Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a rousing welcome by President Anurakumara Dissanayake (AKD) at the Independence Square in Colombo on Saturday (5). Prime Minister Modi landed in Colombo on Friday 4 th at the Bandaranaike International Airport. The state reception to welcome the Indian Prime Minister was accorded at the Independence Square in Colombo where important state functions such as the Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations of Sri Lanka are held annually.
It was after the Independence Square reception, Indian Prime Minister was honored at a special event at the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday conferring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the country’s highest civilian honor, called ` Mithra Vibhushana’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on accepting the prestigious award said the award reflects the historic ties and deep friendship between the two countries. The honor was introduced in 2008 and was bestowed on former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the past. “It is an honor for me to receive Sri Lanka’s Mithra Vibhushana award from President Dissanayake,” Modi said, adding that this was also an honor for 1.4 billion Indians. The recipient is awarded a citation and a silver medal to be worn around the neck, studded and adorned with nine types of Sri Lankan gems and the symbols of a lotus, globe, sun, moon and sheaves of rice.

The Dharma Chakra on the medal reflects the shared Buddhist heritage that has shaped the cultural traditions of both nations. The Pun Kalasa or ceremonial pot adorned with sheaves of rice symbolises prosperity and renewal. Political analysts in the Island describing on the award bestowed on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by President AnuraKumara Dissanayake mentioned that the honor was more to do with President Anurakumara Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) coming into terms with its past agitations against India than honoring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was in the eighties and in the nineties NPP functioned as a revolutionary moment called Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) with the armed struggle. The outfit opposed vehemently the India’s involvement in the Sri Lanka’s internal affairs.

In 1970 when the JVP militancy terrorised Sri Lanka, India helped then Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government to crush the JVP struggle. Later in 1987 when the Indo Lanka Accord was signed between Late President J.R.Jeyewardene and late Indian Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to find a durable solution to the North and East political crisis, JVP which later stretched its political wing as NPP opposed the Indo- Lanka Accord strongly and even went to the extent of staging violent agitation in the Southern part of the Island.

However a famous political saying goes as “there is no permanent friend or foe in politics”. Therefore in the relations between the NPP Government and the Indian leader Narendra Modi the above saying could be considered appropriate. Following the meetings with the Government leaders, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met the Tamil politicians from the North and East. Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK), Democratic Tamil Nattional Alliance (DTNA) and Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo.

At the beginning of the meeting with the Tamil political parties Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tribute to the deaths of ITAK leaders R.Sampanthan and Mavai S.Senathiraja. Expressing his condolences to the deaths of two veteran Tamil politicians Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered the meetings he had with them in the past and said that he missed them both. At the inception of his interaction with the Tamil political parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sarcastically mentioned about the split occurred among the Tamil parties from the North and East.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out that earlier when he met the Tamil parties under the leadership of late R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) remained as a single entity and now the Tamil parties have divided into three political entities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s observation on the Tamil political parties had clearly outlined the disunity among the Tamil parties. However the Tamil political parties which had met the Indian Prime Minister commenting on the response from the Indian Prime Minister covering up even the Indian leader’s observation on the disunity among the Tamil political parties stated that the Indian leader had promised to fulfill the political aspirations of the people in the North and East.

From the time Indo- Lanka Accord was signed in 1987, the Indian leaders of bygone era who had interacted closely with the Tamil leaders in the past had pledged to fulfill the political aspirations of North and East Tamils by implementing the 13 th Amendment. Whereas fulfilling the political aspirations of the North and East Tamils with the implementation of the 13th Amendment remains a distance dream from the time the Amendment was annexed to the Lankan Constitution.

In the meantime Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka was more on strengthening the ties between the two countries with regard to the regional security and on making the Island nation becoming interdependence on India and nothing in particular to be mentioned.