India Narrative

The profound churning in Sri Lanka—an impending regime change now that the Rajapaksa family seems to be throwing in the towel—may chiefly benefit an untested organisation. With the former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and most of the extended Rajapaksa family now holed up at a naval base in Trincomalee, a huge political vacuum has emerged in the island nation. It is here the Front Line Socialist Party (FLSP), a breakaway from the ultra-Left Anatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which had itself mounted two armed revolts against the government in the past, comes in. Highly placed sources told India Narrative that FLSP has been a key player in giving political direction to what had started at Colombo’s Galle Face as spontaneous protests against a virtual economic meltdown. The once powerful Rajapaksa family led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, which had monopolised power became natural targets of the people’s wrath, once shortages kicked in and prices sk

Much action is happening in Sri Lanka but no solutions have been offered by either its leadership or by the opposition parties. Meanwhile, people continue to protest on the streets with a single demand that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should go. The embattled President  has decided not to resign because his party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), still enjoys a simple majority. He offered an olive branch to the opposition but that has been rejected. Understandably, the opposition has refused to join the unity government as urged by Rajapaksa because it does not want to inherit a mess for which there is no solution in sight. Despite parliamentary debates, the leaders have failed to find a solution to the humanitarian crisis engulfing the country. So, what is happening? Dhananjaya Tripathi, Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, South Asian University, told  India Narrative  that the Rajapaksa government is desperately seeking international help—and that is w

  Sri Lanka on Wednesday faced a severe crisis after it had to shut down the Kelanitissa Power Plant during the night due to the lack of diesel. The power plant generates 300 megawatts of electricity on a daily basis. With a severe foreign exchange shortage that the country has been facing for the past many months, Sri Lanka has not been able to import oil. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) could not supply diesel to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), due to which the entire country is facing a power cut of 1.5 hours, reports the Daily Mirror. While the Kelanitissa Power Plant was shut down today, one of the generators of the Sapugaskanda Power Plant was shut down on Tuesday due to the lack of heavy furnace oil. Currently, only half of the plant is functioning after it received 900 metric tonnes of emergency furnace oil. Media reports indicate that more turbines are likely to be shut down by Wednesday afternoon due to the fuel shortage. The power shortage can go up to 2.5 hours.

 India handed over 1,000 houses to Tamils in Sri Lanka’s plantation areas on the occasion of Pongal. This is part of the 4,000 houses currently being built under a grant scheme from India. Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay; Sri Lankan Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa and the Minister of State for Estate Housing and Community Infrastructure Jeevan Thondaman handed over the keys to the beneficiaries from the plantation community. Baglay conveyed his greetings to the people on Pongal and Thiruvalluvar Day. In a tweet, the Indian High Commission highlighted the cultural and civilisational ties between India and Sri Lanka. The High Commission also reiterated India’s strong support to Sri Lanka for economic growth. The handover ceremony was attended by a number of Sri Lankan members of parliament. The Indian Housing Project in the island nation is a key development project being executed in a phased manner in which India plans to provide nearly 60,000 houses. In the first two