When a president of Sri Lanka is elected, the first to congratulate him is the neighboring country India. But Indian Prime Minister Modi did not congratulate Ranil until a week after Ranil was sworn in as President. Similarly, when a president of Sri Lanka is elected, India is the first country that invites the president on an official visit. But Ranil was invited to India for an official visit after a year. But Ranil made a great effort during his visit to India to remove the mistrust in India about him. After that visit, the relations between India and Ranil seemed to be strengthened.
Ranil after assuming the leadership of UNP, made efforts to show that he had the support of India. When the U.N.P. revolted against him, he used to go to India and meet Indian leaders. He tried to show that India wanted to keep him in the UNP leadership and opposition leadership. After the defeat of the 2019 presidential election, he made a great effort to visit India to protect the party leadership and the opposition leadership, but it was not successful. Now he seems to be trying hard to show that his presidential candidacy has India’s blessing. His attendance at Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as well as his invitation to Modi for a visit to Sri Lanka prove this. This is not the first time that Ranil has invited Modi to visit Sri Lanka. Earlier, when he visited India, he invited Modi. He has announced through his media unit that Modi will come in August, and his media unit states that the Indian Foreign Minister will come to Sri Lanka to organize Modi’s visit in August.
By August, the presidential election would be announced. In such a situation, Sri Lanka cannot think of any presence not only Modi but any other leader. In 2013, then President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited the Pope to come to Sri Lanka to win Catholic votes for his snap presidential election, but the Pope gave a date for his visit after the end of the presidential election.
Modi is aware that the President of Sri Lanka lacks a popular mandate. He expressed gratitude to the opposition politicians who congratulated him, acknowledging that Sri Lanka is approaching a presidential election. Modi will schedule a visit to Sri Lanka after the new president is elected.
