Vehicles of Sri Lanka’s ruling party supporters are seen in a lake after being pushed into the water during a clash of pro and anti-government demonstrators near the Prime Minister’s official residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 10, 2022. (Reuters)
India Tuesday sought to distance itself from the Rajapaksa family-led Sri Lankan government and pledged support to the “people of Sri Lanka”.
A day after Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Minister, India took a nuanced view of the developments in Sri Lanka, saying it will “always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes”.
The carefully-worded three-paragraph statement does not mention the “government of Sri Lanka” or the Rajapaksas at all.
Also, “democratic processes” likely refers to peaceful protests and possible elections, and Delhi’s discomfiture with the government’s crackdown on protesters and use of any undemocratic means to hold on to power — like military intervention or declaration of emergency etc.
