Colombo/New Delhi, September 7
In an unusually scathing attack, a senior Sri Lankan Minister has accused India’s High Commissioner Nirupama Rao of meddling in the island nation’s affairs, a charge outrightly rejected by New Delhi.
Sri Lankan government sources told PTI today that the minister’s outburst was “absolutely unwarranted”. A report in the Island newspaper also quoted an unnamed government official as saying that Bandaranaike’s comments did not reflect the government’s thinking.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs today rebutted a statement made by the Sri Lankan minister in Sri Lankan Parliament wherein he alleged that India’s High Commissioner in Colombo Ms Nirupama Rao was interfering in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.
In response to a question on the issue, the official spokesperson said, “It is not the policy of Government of India and its representative abroad to interfere in the internal affairs of any country. Our High Commissioner in Colombo Ms Nirupama Rao is a senior diplomat and has conducted herself in accordance with the highest professional standards.”
