The joint opposition candidate in the Sri Lankan Presidential election, Gen.Sarath Fonseka, is currently in India on a short visit.
Informed sources told Express that the General turned politician was on a religious pilgrimage. He reportedly went to Mumbai and might perhaps go to Bodh Gaya in Bihar..
As to whether he would make a dash to New Delhi for a pow wow with the Indian leaders is not known. He had however made a request to the Indian High Commissioner Ashok K.Kantha, for arrangements to meet Indian leaders in New Delhi.
According to reports, Fonseka is expected back in the island on Friday.
Importance of India to Fonseka
Fonseka has been showing a tendency to reach out to India in many ways. His remarks that he was very close to the Indian military and that he loved everything Indian, were meant to curry favour with India, a country which the Sri Lankan opposition believes is tilted towards the Rajapaksas.
It is known that India has reservations about him given his extremist majoritarian (Sinhalese) nationalist views. But since becoming a candidate he has been singing a totally different tune, which must intriguiing New Delhi as much as it does people here in Sri Lanka.
An UNP source said that Fonseka was so worried about the denial of adequate security to him by the Rajapaksa government that he had gone to consult the Indian authorities on the security that he ought to have.
Fonseka was reportedly disturbed by the Attorney General’s uncompromising attitude in the Supreme Court when his petition on inadequate security came up for hearing. He was mollified only when the court set an early date for the Attorney General to come up with a formal assessment of the security requirement.
As for the Indian leaders, they would certainly like to open a line of communication with a top- of- the- line Presidential candidate put up by a major political party like United National Party (UNP). They would also like to hear him first hand on the devolution of power to the Tamils ,whether he was serious about his statement made in Sinhalese, that he was prepared to go beyond the Indian-inspired 13 th amendment in this regard, and whether he would indeed abolish the Excutive Presidency.
Ranil not to be Caretaker PM
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the UNP, Tissa Attanayake, told the media that it was not true that the UNP leader and the Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe was aiming to be the caretaker Prime Minister after the victory of Gen.Fonseka in the January 26 Presidential election.
“Wickremesinghe will not be the caretaker PM. The UNP will not accept any important office in the caretaker government,” Attanayake said.
Opposition to sign MOU with Fonseka
The Democratic Peoples’ Front leader Mano Ganeshan told the media here on Thursday that the parties backing Gen.Fonseka in the Presidential election would sign an MOU with him soon.
The MOU would touch all important issues underlying the parties’ support for Fonseka, including those relating to the Tamil question, especially devolution of power.
Pillayan pledges support to Rajaapaksa
One more anti-LTTE Tamil party has joined the Mahinda Rajapaksa bandwagon. The leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) and the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, told the media after meeting President Rajapaksa that he was supporting his candidature for President.
Asked if Rajapaksa had promised him full implementation of the devolution package contained in the 13 th Amendment of the constitution, Pillayan said that he did not believe in getting caught in “jargon” like the 13 th or 17 th, amendment, but in action on the ground for the betterment of his people..
The other Tamil parties supporting Rajapaksa are the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC); Up Country Peoples ‘Front (UPF); Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP); Peoples’ Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eeelam (PLOTE); Eelam Peoples’ Revolutionary Liberation Front (Padmanaba).
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow TNN on Facebook and Twitter )