By

P.K.Balachandran

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said here on Wednesday, that his country will have good relations with India as part of the new chapter that is being opened with the victory of the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) in the August 17 parliamentary elections.

“A new chapter is being opened in Sri Lanka and good relations with India is part of it,” Wickremesinghe told newspersons after a meeting with his partymen at his office at Temple Trees.

The previous United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa had been wary of India and had lurched towards China causing worries in New Delhi. New Delhi sees Wickremesinghe as a friend because it was when he was Prime Minister in 2002-2004 that the Indian Oil Corporation entered Lanka as a major player.

It was also Wickremesinghe who had mooted the idea if a bridge across the Palk Strait which he named “Hanuman Bridge.”

However, this time round, Wickremesinghe is more catious about the bridge. Asked if he supports the idea recently revived by Indian Minister of Highways , Nitin Gadkari, he said no such proposal has been discussed.

On what he planned to do in Sri Lanka itself, Wickremesinghe said that he would appeal to all political parties in parliament to join the government in running the country on the basis of consensus. He said he would even welcome Mahinda Rajapaksa , the vanquished Prime Ministerial candidate, into his fold.

He said if this effort to run the country on the basis of a national consensus is on for even two or three years, no one will be able to opt out and go back to divisive politics.

The Prime Minister, who is committed to giving a greater role to parliamentarians in the running of the country, said that he would set up District Coordination Committees with MPs involved in it.

On the question of devolution of power he said power will be given to clusters of villages. Religious leaders and civil society will be involved in this but not politicians, he said.

Wickremesinghe further said that President Maithripala Sirisena is fully with him on these issues.

RAJAPAKSA’S VOW

Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose dream of coming back to power as Prime Minister was dashed by the defeat of his party United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in the August 17 parliamentary elections, has vowed to continue in active politics to safeguard the national interest.

UNFGG HOPES TO GET ABSOLUTE MAJORITY

Meanwhile, UNFGG honcho and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said that the UNFGG ,which got only 106 seats out of 225 in the elections, will soon get the support of 157 to give it a two thirds majority in parliament.

Karunanayake told the media that many MPs will cross over from the opposition UPFA for a share in power and ministerships.Many of the UPFA MPs charged with corruption will seek shelter with President Sirisena who is Chairman of the UPFA, he added.

Besides that, the Tamil National Alliance and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna will render support from outside, Karunanayake said.

Courtesy:New Indian Express