Sri Lanka beckons

LAST week, Ranil Wickremesinghe came to India a year after taking over as Sri Lankan President. Usually, leaders of neighbouring countries make India their first port of call after assuming charge. Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda made the error of visiting China first when he became the Nepal PM in 2008. It took some time for Prachanda to smoothen the edges with India after the diplomatic gaffe. But in the case of Wickremesinghe, that did not matter due to his preoccupation with bailing Sri Lanka out of economic trouble. His visit was short — just 27 hours and devoid of pomp and ceremony. But it signalled Colombo’s willingness to shed reservations about allowing India access to some of its sectors.

President Droupadi Murmu, during her meeting with Wickremesinghe, gave assurance of support. She emphasised that India had always stood with Sri Lanka during its hour of need and would continue to do so. A few hours earlier, PM Narendra Modi had made a similar commitment of partnering with Sri Lanka through thick and thin. The unqualified support from India may have persuaded Sri Lanka to drop its age-old resistance and agree to a feasibility study of building a land bridge and oil pipeline between the two countries.

The two sides also decided to connect electricity grids and establish an energy and industry hub in Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee district, the closest port to Chennai; this may emerge as India’s counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. PM Modi also announced that India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) would soon be available in Sri Lanka and boost engagement in the fintech domain. It remains to be seen, however, if Wickremesinghe, whose United National Party has just one MP in Parliament, can deliver on his promises.