Delhi watches closely as pro-China Rajapaksa is back

New Delhi, Oct 27: Delhi is watching the developments in Sri Lanka closely after Mahinda Rajapaksa staged a dramatic political comeback on Friday, becoming Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister.

Rajapaksa tool over after President Maithripala Sirisena sacked premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, triggering angry reactions from the finance minister who termed the former strongman's return as an "anti-democratic coup".

Visuals of the former president Rajapaksa taking oath as the premier were released to media and was shown on TV channels. Rajapaksa, 72, tweeted a photo of him and Sirisena after the swearing in ceremony.

India has described the move as an internal development. However Delhi is agog with reports of a Cabinet meeting in Sri Lanka last week in which Sirisena and Wickremesinghe reportedly had a falling out over leasing a port terminal to India.

Officials in Delhi, tell OneIndia that the development is internal and they are watching the situation closely. However the concern for India is that Rajapaksa is closer to China. It is yet to be seen if the new dispensation would distance itself from India and move closer to China.