(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended an invitation to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to visit India and the invitation is reported to have accepted, well-placed sources revealed.
In an apparently unscheduled, late night meeting, Prime Minister Modi met former President Rajapaksa, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and former Minster G. L. Peiris in Colombo, during Indian Premier’s visit to Sri Lanka for the United Nations (UN) Vesak Day celebrations.
The meeting was at the former President’s request, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu said.
The meeting comes ten-days after Mr. Wimal Weerawansa, a Parliamentarian close to Mr. Rajapaksa called for a black flag protest around Prime Minister Modi’s visit. Mr. Rajapaksa has earlier blamed India for his defeat in the January 2015 Presidential Election, but in a recent media interview said that he admired the Indian Prime Minister.
However, Prime Minister Modi reportedly enquired about the status of Chinese projects when he met Mr. Rajapaksa, a known ally of Beijing.
