According to news published in the Indian media citing the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during his visit to Colombo last week urged the Sri Lankan government to hold the long-delayed Provincial Council elections as early as possible and to “fully implement” the constitutional provisions to fulfill the aspirations of the Tamil people.

However, a statement issued by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Media Division indicated that the discussions centered on “further strengthening cooperation in sectors including technology, energy, and trade to yield mutual benefits for both countries.”

The statement made no mention of any discussion regarding the Provincial Council elections. This highlights a clear difference in priorities between the two sides when it comes to sharing information.

According to reports in the Indian media, Misri asked the President to fully implement the constitutional provisions, but he did not specifically mention the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

It appears that India has been deliberately avoiding asking for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment in recent times, particularly after the National People’s Power (NPP) government came to power.

In the joint statement issued during Dissanayake’s mid-December 2024 trip to India, his first official overseas visit after assuming the presidency, there was no mention of either the ethnic issue or the 13th Amendment.

Prior to this, during former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s official visit to New Delhi in July 2023, the joint statement similarly made no mention of the 13th Amendment. However, during the joint press conference held alongside Ranil, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi specifically referred to the implementation of the 13th Amendment.

Yet, during his visit to Sri Lanka in early April 2025, Prime Minister Modi stated, “We hope the Sri Lankan government will fulfill the aspirations of the Tamil people. Furthermore, the Sri Lankan government will fulfill its commitment to fully implement Sri Lanka’s Constitution and hold the Provincial Council elections.”

Since then, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has also avoided asserting that India would urge the Sri Lankan government to implement the 13th Amendment, even when meeting with Northern Tamil parties. The Indian side’s current refrain is simply calling on Sri Lanka to conduct Provincial Council elections and fully implement the Constitution.

It has been learned through representatives who attended the meeting that Foreign Secretary Misri also avoided using the phrase “13th Amendment” during his talks with Tamil parties in Colombo. However, representatives of the Tamil parties, specifically M.A. Sumanthiran, General Secretary of the ITAK, reportedly emphasized the necessity of the full implementation of the 13th Amendment.

It appears New Delhi currently does not wish to cause domestic political discomfort for President Dissanayake and his government by bringing up the 13th Amendment.

Although the Indian Ministry of External Affairs states that Misri requested President Dissanayake to conduct the Provincial Council elections expeditiously, the total absence of any reference to this in the President’s Media Division release exposes the true quality of the government’s “honesty and transparency” regarding issues tied to the ethnic problem.

A question remains for Indian leaders and diplomats who ask the Sri Lankan government to fully implement the Constitution:

Apart from the 13th Amendment, which other provisions of Sri Lanka’s Constitution do you actually care to see fully implemented?

_{Image Source: hcicolombo.gov.in}