SL: Indian envoy castigated for interference

Colombo, Sept 7: Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike has slammed the Indian High Commissioner to the island nation, Nirupama Rao, for interfering in local politics and urged her to keep off it.

''Don't dabble in politics. We, Sri Lankans, can look after our country, please look after your High Commission,'' the local Daily, Mirror newspaper has quoted Mr Bandaranaike as saying during the emergency debate in parliament yesterday.

Recalling the days of Mr J N Dixit as High Commissioner , Mr Bandaranaike censured Mr Dixit for his arrogant ways, responsible for spoiling Indo-Lanka relationship for which the former Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi ultimately had to pay the price with his life.

The Indian High Commissioner does not have to tell the Sri Lankan government who it should deal with, Minister Bandaranaike has been quoted as saying.

The Minister's remarks come against a backdrop of Indian media reports revealing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's agreement to meet a group of legislators of the four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) tentatively in the coming week to acquire a first hand information on the privations being faced by the Tamil people in the restive North-East region in the wake of the ongoing clashes between the Lankan army and the LTTE.

UNI

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