India's VP Strengthens Ties with Sri Lankan Tamil Leaders, Praises Aid Impact

The meeting, held during the Vice President's official visit to Sri Lanka, served as a platform for regional leaders to express their gratitude for India's swift and substantial humanitarian interventions over recent months.

Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, on X posted the developments. A central theme of the discussion was the impact of India's $450 million (USD) rehabilitation and relief package, dispatched in the wake of the devastating Cyclone Ditwah.

"They thanked Government of India's efforts for the USD 450 mn rehabilitation and relief package post Cyclone Ditwah as well as other relief measures overtime," Jaiswal posted.

Leaders from both the Sri Lankan Tamil parties and IOT groups lauded the "Neighbour First" policy, noting that Indian aid was instrumental in stabilising communities hit hardest by the storm.

The Vice President's meeting is seen as a strategic affirmation of India's role as a "first responder" in the region and its continued interest in the 13th Amendment and the political devolution process, which remains a core concern for the Sri Lankan Tamil leadership.

The visit underscores a period of intensified cooperation between New Delhi and Colombo. By engaging directly with both Sri Lankan Tamils and the Indian Origin Tamil community, who primarily reside in the plantation sectors, the Vice President has signalled that India's developmental partnership remains inclusive and focused on regional stability.

The MEA confirmed that India will continue to monitor the progress of rehabilitation efforts to ensure the $450 million package effectively reaches the grassroots level, aiding in the total recovery of the cyclone-affected provinces.

Earlier, Radhakrishnan, who is on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, met the country's Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Premadasa.

Discussions were held on deepening the bilateral partnership, along with strengthening the people-to-people ties between the countries.

In a series of posts on X, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Sri Lankan PM Harini Amarasuriya hosted the Vice President Radhakrishnan."Recalling the shared civilizational heritage between the two countries, the leaders discussed the importance of further strengthening the bilateral ties including people-to-people bonds", he added.

In another post, the MEA spokesperson said that LoP Sajith Premadasa called on the Vice President and both leaders discussed further strengthening India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties.

VP Radhakrishnan on Sunday also called on Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

Jaiswal said in a post on X that the leaders held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted India -Sri Lanka ties, rooted in shared history and cultural values.

According to the MEA, the 2-day visit (April 19-20) includes meetings with Sri Lanka's top leadership and engagements with the Indian-origin Tamil community. The visit is part of India's broader diplomatic outreach under its Neighbourhood First policy.

According to Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha, the Vice President will also engage directly with communities in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka's picturesque up-country tea-growing region, where a large section of the Indian-origin Tamil community resides.

There, he will visit settlements developed under India's Housing Project Phase III, which has already constructed 4,000 houses, with an additional 10,000 currently underway.

The visit is expected to see the Vice President interact with Indian-origin Tamil families, visit housing projects, and also tour the Seetha Temple in Nuwara Eliya.

- ANI